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FOUR GOSPELS 






ARRANGED AS 

A PRACTICAL FAMILY COMMENTARY, 

FOR 

EVERY DAY IN THE YEAR. 

BY THE AUTHOR OF "THE PEEP OF DAY," ETC. 

EDITED, WITH AN INTRODUCTORY PREFACE, 

By STEPHEN H/TYNG, D. D. 

Rector of St. George's Church, in the city of New Tore. •* 
ILLUSTRATED WITH TWELVE HIGHLY FINISHED STEEL ENGRAVINGS. 



NEW YORK: 
D. APPLETON & COMPANY, 200 BROADWAY. 

PHILADELPHIA : 
GEO. S. APPLETON, 164 CHESNUT-STREET. 

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INTRODUCTORY ESSAY 



Amo^g all the varied departments of religious useful- 
ness, no effort can be of greater importance than to make 
the sacred word of God interesting and attractive to 
youthful minds. This divine book contains within itself 
instruction which is of infinite value to the soul. It con- 
veys this heavenly instruction by means and methods ex- 
ceedingly adapted to awaken and gratify the curiosity and 
delight of the youthful mind, when they are properly 
illustrated, and brought out to view. It is susceptible of 
such explanation and comment, by a wise and affectionate 
teacher, who has himself been taught by the Holy Spirit 
in the things of God, as shall clothe its expositions with 
the deepest and most absorbing interest, and Enchain the 
attention of those to whom they are addressed. The 
amazing variety of forms in which God has been pleased 
here to reveal his holy will and purpose, and to proclaim 
his mercy and his truth to men, furnish a subject for study 
and meditation, compensating the utmost devotion of time 
and thought, and able to engage and reward the attention 
and interest of the most youthful student or hearer. The 
one great purpose of the Holy Scriptures . is, to reveal a 
Saviour for man, in all the fulness, and power, and glory 
of his work ; and to make men wise unto salvation, 

2 



10 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

through, faith, in him. There is probably no single por- 
tion of the Bible which is not intended to be particularly 
connected, in some way, with this great subject, and, in its 
proper application, to illustrate, explain, or enforce it. To 
understand this, to find everywhere a Saviour revealed, — 
or, as Bernard has said, " Christus in omnibus," — is the 
desire and effort of every real believer in Jesus, in his 
study, and in his expositions of the word of God. When 
this great light is once truly discovered in the Scriptures, 
it is seen to shine everywhere. The garden of Eden and 
the flood of Noah,— the journeys of the patriarchs and the 
sorrows and deliverance of Israel, — the wilderness and the 
land of promise, — the tabernacle and the temple, with all 
their rites and festivals, and divine appointments for the 
worship of the children of Jacob, — each appears intended 
to give witness to the grace and glory of a Saviour ; and 
shines most attractively, glowing with the excellence and 
beauty of his merits and grace. The effort to understand 
this sacred purpose, to ascertain " the mind of the Spirit" 
in every passage, imparts a very peculiar interest to the 
private study of the sacred word, and to its familiar expo- 
sitions to others. The Bible thus becomes, in every pas- 
sage, important to every reader, and presents in each, some 
new and peculiar view of gospel truth to the attentive and 
spiritual mind. Redemption, — glorious and complete re- 
demption for man, in the incarnation, death, resurrection, 
and dominion of the Son of God, and in all the wonder- 
ful results of this amazing undertaking, in the history and 
experience of man redeemed by his sacrifice and power, — 
becomes the special theme of instruction in every history 
and event recorded in the Scriptures, however local and 
individual they may at first appear. Now, to interest the 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 11 

minds of the young in this great subject, — to show to 
them, simply, but. clearly and effectually, what God really 
means to teach in his holy word, — to take off the dull, 
technical, and barren aspect under which this word habit- 
ually appears before them, and to make them feel that it 
is really attractive, striking, and full of instruction which 
they will truly love to receive, is an object worthy of the 
labor and devotion of any human mind ; an employment 
large and important enough to command any exertions, or 
any study, on the part of those who feel a real desire to 
be spiritually useful to others. 

This is a department of Christian usefulness which was 
scarcely touched in the Church until the present age, and 
which even now has been but very partially improved. 
In our time, some effort has been made to bring the pre- 
cious truths of the Bible within the reach and comprehen- 
sion of the young. Much benefit has been thus conferred 
upon them. Doubtless the eternal salvation of many will 
be found to have resulted from the various instruments of 
this most interesting and important class of Christian labor. 
The excellent author of this present familiar commentary, 
— a Christian lady, if we are rightly informed,*. — has ac- 
complished an important measure of this desired work. 
Her other publications named in the title-page of the pres- 
ent, are most successful efforts to make scriptural truths 
acceptable and engaging to the young. The present work, 
published under the rather indefinite title of " Light in the 
Dwelling," is an undertaking in the same line, equally val- 
uable, and likely to be equally successful. It is a familiar 
practical commentary upon the Gospels, in language ex- 
tremely simple, and in the character and matter of its in- 
struction, most valuable and correct. This is a very fair 



12 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

specimen of a work which yet remains to be accomplished, 
and which, if well done, would be an invaluable gift to the 
Christian church. We mean an interesting and familiar 
commentary on the Scriptures, suited in language and sen- 
timent to the minds of the young. Who shall have the 
blessed and exalted privilege of being thus " a teacher of 
babes," in the great and gracious truths of the word of 
God? Where is the faithful spiritual guide whom God 
will raise up, prepare, and instruct, for this important de- 
sign, of giving a clear, evangelical, and attractive exposi- 
tion of his sacred word, illustrated in language and style 
adapted to families, and especially to the youthful mem- 
bers of families, in the church of Christ % We believe no 
work could be more important, or would be more likely to 
be useful, popular, and successful, than such a commentary, 
wisely designed, and intelligently and truthfully executed. 
The attention and interest of youthful minds can always 
be easily drawn to the Bible, when expositions of it are 
within the reach of their comprehension, and adapted to 
their habits of thought. There would scarcely be found 
an exception to this remark, whether children were indi- 
vidually or collectively addressed by such expositions. 
And while the far greater portion of those who are really 
taught of God in the revelations of his word, are early 
interested by the Holy Spirit in these great subjects, and 
become, while they are yet young, spiritually and truly the 
members of his kingdom, this precious and important class 
of minds constitute a field of labor, which all ministers and 
mature Christians ought to feel it a privilege to cultivate 
with eagerness and perseverance. 

The deep interest which the author of the present work 
felt in this field of effort, to which she has devoted her 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 13 

powers and pen, may be gathered from the following stri- 
king passage from her own preface : 

" And what is success t ~No circulation, however exten- 
sive, — no approbation, even of the wise and good, could be 
deemed success, if unattended by the conversion or edifica- 
tion of immortal souls. But if, at the last day, it should 
be made manifest that, through the means of this humble 
work, some thoughtless girl, removed from a beloved home, 
and sojourning among strangers, had been led to cry, u My 
Father, thou art the guide of my youth,'— that some igno- 
rant boy, in times past unprofitable to all, had, like Onesi- 
mus, become profitable to his employer and to the church 
of God, — that some self-righteous person, faithful to her 
earthly master, but a rebel against the best of Masters, had 
been brought, in her declining years, to seek His righteous- 
ness, and devote herself to His service, — that some unhappy 
wanderer, stained with secret crime, and tormented by the 
pangs of a guilty conscience, had been encouraged to plead 
for pardon, and to wash in the Saviour's precious blood, — 
that some little child, sitting at the feet of its father, or 
of its mother, turning over the leaves of its first Bible, had 
learned to love the Friend of little children,— this, this 
would indeed be success. Will the reader join his prayers 
to mine that such a boon may be granted me by ' the Fa- 
ther of lights, from whom cometh down every good and 
perfect gift V " 

Such success as this, we have no doubt, the author will 
find, in a very abundant measure, — success which will cheer 
her soul and enlarge her blessedness in a world, where the 
works of men are made manifest, and the faithful people 
of God have praise of him. It is in the full conviction that 
this present work is eminently adapted to produce this 



14 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

happy result, and to open the precious and imperishable 
blessings of the Gospel to those who familiarly use it, that 
we are able to recommend it in a very cordial and unqual- 
ified manner. It will be a faithful and attractive guide 
both in family reading and in the private study of the 
young. If God shall be pleased to accompany it, and bless 
it with his own Holy Spirit, it will prove to all who em- 
ploy it for their instruction, a guide to the knowledge of a 
Saviour, and a faithful interpreter of his sacred word. It 
may serve also as a very excellent pattern and guide for 
the discharge of a similar duty by other Christians, to 
whom the opportunity may be given. It will encourage 
them to attempt the plan of similar familiar expositions of 
the Scriptures in their own families, or in Sunday-schools, 
or on other occasions, where a way may be opened for a 
word of exhortation or counsel. And thus the author's 
labor may be crowned with an enlarging and perpetuating 
influence, quite beyond the modest and limited expecta- 
tions she would herself have formed. 



CONTENTS. 



EXPOSITION PAGE. 

1. John i. 1—5. The Word 27 

2. John i. 6— 11. The Witness...- 28 

3. John i. 12, 13. The sons of God 29 

4. John i. 14—18. The testimony of John. . 30 

5. Luke i. 1—4. The Preface • • • 32 

6. Luke i. 5—14. The angel's visit to Zach- 
arias 33 

7. Luke i. 15—17. The Prophecy concerning 
John the Baptist 35 

8. Luke i. 18— 23. The unbelief of Zacharias 36 

9. Luke i. 26—33. The angel's visit to Mary 37 

10. Luke i. 35—45. Mary's visit to Elizabeth. 39 

11. Luke i. 46—56. The Song of Mary 40 

12. Luke i. 57 — 66. The Circumcision of John 41 

13. Luke i. 67 to end. The prophecy of Zach- 
arias 42 

14. Matt. i. The angel's visit to Joseph 44 

15. Luke ii. 1—7. The birth of the Lord Jesus 
Christ 45 

16. Luke ii. 8 — 14. The angel's appearance to 
the shepherds 46 

17. Luke ii. 15—20. The shepherds visit Beth- 
lehem •> 48 

18. Luke ii. 21—32. The song of Simeon- •• . 49 

19. Luke ii. 33—35. The words of Simeon to 
Mary 51 

20. Luke ii. 36 — 40. Anna the prophetess ... 52 

21. Matt. ii. 1 — 8. The wise men's arrival at 
Jerusalem 54 

22. Matt. ii. 9—11. The wise men's journey 

to Bethlehem 56 

23. Matt. ii. 12— 15. The heavenly warnings. 58 

24. Matt. ii. 16—18. The slaughter of the 

25. Matt. ii. 19—23. Joseph's return 60 

26. Luke ii. 41 to end. Christ among the doc- 
tors... 62 

27. Matt. iii. 1—6. John preaches in the wil- 
derness 64 

28. Matt. iii. 7—12. John warns the Pharisees 
and Sadducees 66 

29. Luke iii. 10 — 14. John instructs various 
classes in their duties 67 

30. Matt. iii. 13 to end. The baptism of Christ 70 

31. Matt. iv. 1—7. The temptation of Christ. 72 

32. Matt. iv. 8—11. The same continued .... 74 

33. John i. 19—34. The record of John at 
Bethabara 76 

34. John i. 35—42. Andrew leads Simon to 
Christ 77 

35. John i. 43 to end. Philip leads Nathanael 

to Christ 78 

36. John ii. 1 — 10. Jesus turns water into 
wine 80 

37. John ii. 11—17. Christ purifies the tem- 
ple 82 

38. John ii. 18 to end. Christ speaks of the 
temple of his body 83 

39. John iii. 1 — 8. Christ's conversation with 
Nicodemus 85 

40. John iii. 9—21. The conversation con- 
cluded 87 

41. John iii. 22 to end. John's testimony to 
Christ at Enon 88 

42. Luke iii. 19, 20. John's imprisonment ... 90 

43. John iv. 1 — 15. Christ's conversation with 
the woman of Samaria 92 



EVENING SCRIPTURE PORTIOH. 

Gen. i. The Creation. 

James v. Conversion of sinners. 

Eph. ii. Regeneration. 

2 Cor. iv. 'The glory of Christ. 

1 Tim. iii. Inspiration of the Scriptures. 

Rom. iii. Righteousness. 

Numbers vi. 1—12. The Nazarite. 

Ex. iv. 1 — 17. Two signs wrought by Moses. 
Is. xi. Christ the rod out of Jesse's stem. 
Heb. ii. Christ's human nature. 
Ex. xiv. The Red Sea. 
Eccles. xii. Early piety. 
1 John ii. Strong in spirit. 

Is. vii. 10 to end. Immanuel. 
Micah v. Bethlehem. 

Rev. v. Angels' songs in heaven. 

Ez. xxxiii. 21 to end. Ezekiel's words listened to 

as a lovely pong. 
Job xix. Seeing the Redeemer. 
1 Peter ii. Christ a stone of stumbling. 

1 Tim. v. A widow indeed. 

Ps. ii., iii., iv. The opposition of the wicked to 

Christ and his people. 
Ps. lxxii. Kings shall worship Christ. 

Job v. Disappointment of wicked devices. 

2 Sam. xii. 13—23. David's child 

Prov. iii. Promise of direction. 
2 Cor. v. Serving the Lord. 

Isaiah xl. 1 — 17. Prophecy concerning John. 

Phil. iii. The righteousness of Christ. 

Titus ii. Relative duties. 

Eph. i. "Accepted in the beloved." 

Deut. viii. The wilderness. 

Gen. iii. The fall of man. 

Numb, xxviii. 1 — 25. The daily burnt-offerings. 

Is. Iv. Invitation to come to Christ. 

Ps. cxxxix. God's all-seeing eye. 

Prov. iv. The path of the just. 

Ps. lxix. Zeal for God's house. 

Rev. ii. 1 — 17. Christ knows our works. 

Rom. viii. 1—17. The earthly and spiritual mind 

Numb. xxi. 1 — 9. The brazen serpent. 

Ps. lxxiii. The wicked and the righteous. 

Ez. xiv. The stumbling-block of iniquity. 
Rev. xxii. The water of life. 



16 



CONTENTS. 



EXPOSITION. PAGE. 

44. John iv. 16—24. The conversation con- 
tinued . 94 

45. John iv. 25—38. The spiritual harvest. . . 96 

46. John iv. 39 to end. The conversion of the 
Samaritans, and the healing of the noble- 
man's son 97 

47. Luke iv. 14—32. Christ preaches at Naz- 
areth 98 

48. Matt. iv. 12—17. He takes up his abode 

at Capernaum 100 

49. Matt. iv. 18—22. He calls Peter, Andrew, 
James, and John *. 101 

50. Luke v. 1—11. The miraculous draught 

of fishes 102 

51 . Mark i. 21—28. Christ casts out a devil in 
the synagogue 104 

52. Mark i. 29—39. The scene at sunset and 

at sunrise 106 

53. Matt. iv. 23—25. Mark i. 40—45. The cure 
of the leper, and of multitudes with divers 
diseases and torments 107 

54. Luke v. 16—26. The paralytic let down 
through the house-top 109 

55. John v. 1 — 9. The miracle at the pool of 
Bethesda 110 

56. John v. 10 — 16. Christ's interview with 
the restored paralytic Ill 

57. John v. 17—30. Christ's defence of him- 
self before the Sanhedrim 113 

58. John v. 31—39. The defence continued. . 114 

59. John v. 40 to end. The defence con- 
cluded 116 

60. Matt. xii. 1—8. Christ defends his disci- 
ples when falsely accused 117 

61. Matt. xii. 9—13. He heals the man with 
the withered hand 119 

62. Matt. xii. 14 — 21. Isaiah's description of 
the Saviour 120 

C3. Luke vi. 12 — 16. Christ chooses his twelve 
apostles 122 

64. Luke vi. 17 — 19. A multitude of persons 
healed by touching Christ 123 

65. Matt. v. 1 — 10. Christ begins his sermon 
on the Mount by pronouncing the beati- 
tudes 125 

CO. Matt. v. 11 — 16. He prepares his disciples 
for persecution 127 

67. Matt. v. 17—32. He explains the spiritual 
nature of the law 128 

68. Matt. v. 33—37. He forbids irreverent 
swearing 130 

69. Matt. v. 38—42. He enjoins long-suffering 131 

70. Matt. v. 43 to end. He enjoins the for- 
giveness of enemies 133 

71. Matt. vi. 1—4. He forbids ostentation in 
almsgiving 135 

72. Matt. vi. 5—8. He forbids ostentation in 
prayer 136 

73. Matt. vi. 9—13. The Lord's Prayer 138 

74. Matt. vi. 14, 15. He declares whom God 
will forgive 140 

75. Matt. vi. 16—18. He forbids ostentation in 
fasting 141 

76. Matt. vi. 19 — 23. He forbids covetousness 
and double-mindedness 142 

77. Matt. vi. 24 to end. He forbids worldly 
carefulness 144 

78. Matt. vii. 1—6. He forbids hypocritical 
judgment 145 

79. Matt. vii. 7 — 11. He promises that prayer 
shall be answered 146 

80. Matt. vii. 12 — 14. He describes the wrong 
and the right way 148 

81. Matt. vii. 15—20. He warns against false 
prophets 149 

82. Matt. vii. 21—23. He predicts the rejec- 
tion of the false professor J51 

83. Matt. vii. 24 to end. The parables of the 
house on the rock and the house on the 
sand 152 



EVENING SCRIPTURE PORTION. 

2 Kings xvii. 24 to end. Samaria. 

1 Cor. iii. Ministers compared to husbandmen. 

1 Thess. ii. Converts to' the Gospel. 

Is. lxi. The acceptable year. 

Isaiah ix. The light that shone in Zebulon and 

Naphtali. 
Judges vi. The calling of Gideon. 

Acts ii. 32 to end. Conversion of three thousand. 

Ps. 1. God's rejection of the services of the wicked. 

Job xxix. Deeds of mercy. 

2 Kings v. Naaman. 

Ps. xxxii. Forgiveness of sins. 

Zee. xiii. Fountain for sin. 

Amos iv. Warnings against sin. 

Acts xiii. 16 to end. The judgment-day. 

Heb. i. The divinity of Christ. 

Deut. xviii. The prophet like unto Moses. 

Hosea vi. Mercy and not sacrifice. 

2 Thess. ii. Believing a lie. 

Is. xiii. The gentleness of Christ. 

Jer. iii. 12 to end. Promise of good pastors. 

Ps. cvii. 1 — 22. The mercy of God to the misera- 
ble. 

2 Sam. xvi. 1 — 14. David's meekness towards 
Shimei. 

Dan. vi. Den of lions. 

Gen. iv. 1—16. Cain and Abel. 

Heb. vi. The oath of God. 

Deut. xix. Eye for eye. 

Lev. xix. 1—18. Love of our neighbor. 

1 Chron. xxix. 1 — 19. David's gifts to the temple. 

Gen. xxxii. 13 to end. Jacob wrestling with the 

angel. 
Rev. xi. The kingdom of God. 
Is. i. 1—20. The prayers of the wicked. 

Jonah iii. iv. Fasting. 

Prov. xxiii. Riches have wings. 

Ps. cxlv. The goodness of God to his creatures. 

Acts xviii. Enemies of the truth. 

Prov. ii. Earnestness in seeking the Lord. 

Is. Ix. Multitudes of believers in the last days. 

Ez. xiii. False prophets. 

Heb. xiii. Doing the will of God. 

James i. Hearers of the word. 



CONTENTS. 



17 



EXPOSITION. PAGE. 

84 Luke vii. 1 — 10. The believing centu- 
rion 154 

85. Luke vii. 11—17. The raising of the wid- 
ow's son ••• 155 

86 Luke vii. 18—23. The visit of John the 
Bat tist's disciples 157 

87 M.itt. xi. 7—17. Christ commends John 
the Baptist 158 

88. Luke vii. 29—35. He reproves the Jews 

for their perverseness 160 

89. Matt. xi. 20—24. He upbraids three cities 

for their impenitence 161 

90. Matt. xi. 25 to end. He offers a thanksgiv- 
ing to his Father, and invites the heavy la- 
den to come to him . • 163 

91. Luke vii. 36 to end. The penitent weep- 
ing at the feet of Jesus. • 164 

92. Luke viii. 1—3. The women who fol- 
lowed Jesus 165 

93. Matt. xii. 22—30. Christ disproves the 
Pharisees' blasphemous accusation 167 

94. Matt. xii. 31, 32. He warns against the 
unpardonable sin 169 

95. Matt. xii. 33—37. He warns against idle 
words 170 

96. Matt. xii. 38—42. He refuses to give a sign 

to the Pharisees 171 

97. Matt. xii. 43—45. The parable of the un- 
clean spirit 173 

98. Matt. xii. 46 to end. He describes who are 
his mother and his brethren 1 74 

99. Matt. xiii. 1 — 17. He relates the parable 
of the sower, and explains why he spake in 
parables 176 

100. Matt. xiii. 18— 21. The explanation of the 
former part of the parable of the sower 177 

101. Matt. xiii. 22, 23. The explanation of 
the latter part of the parable of the sower. . 178 

102. Matt. xiii. 24—30. 36—43. The parable 
of the wheat and tares, with the explana- 
tion 180 

103. Mark iv. 21 — 29. Jesus encourages his 
disciples to communicate the word 181 

104. Matt. xiii. 31—35. The parables of the 
mustard-seed and the leaven 183 

105. Matt. 44— 46. The parables of the hidden 
treasure and of the pearls 184 

106. Matt. xiii. 47 to end. The parable of the 
fishing-net 185 

107. Mark iv. 33 to end. Christ sleeps in the 
storm, and awakes to still it 187 

108. Mark v. 1—20. Christ delivers the demo- 
niac who dwelt among the tombs 188 

109. Matt. ix. 9—13. The calling of Matthew, 
and the publican's feast 190 

110. Luke v. 33 to end. Christ explains by 
parables why his disciples did not last 191 

111. Luke viii. 40—48. Christ heals the wo- 
man who touched him in the throng 193 

112. Mark v. 35 to end. He raises Jairus' 
daughter 194 

113. Matt. ix. 27—34. He gives sight to two 
blind men, and speech to a dumb man 196 

114. Mark vi. 1—6. His second visit to Naza- 
reth 197 

115. Matt. ix. 35 to end. His compassion for 
the multitude 198 

116. Matt. x. 1—7. He sends out his twelve 
apostles 199 

117. Matt. x. 7—15. He directs them with 
whom to abide during their travels 201 

118. Matt. x. 16—26. He prepares them for 
persecution 202 

119. Matt. x. 27—39. He encourages them to 

be faithful 204 

120. Matt. x. 40 to end : xi. 1. He pronounces 
blessings on those who show kindness to his 
disciples 206 

121. Mark vi. 12—29. The death of John the 
Baptist 207 



EVENING SCRIPTURE PORTION. 

Heb.xi. 1— 19. Faith. 

1 Cor. xv- 35 to end. The resurrection of the dead 

Is. xxxv. The triumphs of the Gospel. 

Mai. iv. Elijah. 

Jer. vi. Refusing to hearken. 

Jer. xviii. Judgment on impenitent nations. 

Ps. cxvi. The rest of the soul. 

1 Peter i. Love to Christ. 

Acts xxvi. Paul accused of madness. 

Acts xix. 1—29. Sceva the exorcist. 

1 John v. Sin unto death. 

James iii. Sinful words. 

1 Kings x. The Queen of Sheba. 

1 Sam. xxviii. The witch of Endor. 

Ps. cxix. 1 — 32. Prayers for grace to do the will of 

God. 
Ps. xxv. The secret of the Lord. 

2 Tim. iv. Demas. 

Ez. xxxvi. 22 to end. The heart of flesh. 
2 Tim. ii. False doctrines. 

Eccles. xi. Sowing seed. 

Ps. lxxviii. 1—33. God's dealings with Israel. 

Job xxviii. The preciousness of wisdom. 

Acts xx. 17 to end. The apostle Paul's parting 

discourse to the Ephesians. 
Rom. v. God's love to man. 

Acts xix. 22 to end. Demetrius \the silversmith. 

Micah vi. Mercy better than sacrifice. 

Rom. iv. Justification by faith. 

Ps. Ii. Confession of sin. 

Gen. xxii. The offering up of Isaac. 

Is. xxxii. The blessed effects of the Gospel. 

Jer. xi. The persecutions of Jeremiah. 

Ez. xxxiv. Unfaithful shepherds. 

Acts xxviii. The Gospel rejected by the Jews. 

Prov. i. The doom of those who reject God's 

mercy. 
Acts xxiv. Paul before Felix. 

Deut. xiii. Fidelity to God. 

1 Kings xviii. 1—20. Obadiah. 



Phil. 



Paul's desire to depart. 



18 



CONTENTS. 



EXPOSITION. PAGE. 

122. Mark vi. 30—44. Christ feeds five thou- 
sand with five loaves and two fishes 209 

123. Matt. xiv. 22 to end. He walks upon the 
sea 211 

124. John vi. 22—29. The multitude seek Je- 
sus from interested motives 212 

125. John vi. 30—34. They ask him to give 
theni bread 214 

12ti. John vi. 35—40. Jesus declares himself 
to be the bread of life 215 

127. John vi. 41 — 58. He promises to give his 
flesh and blood for the world 216 

128. John vi. 59 — 65. He explains the spiritual 
meaning of this declaration 217 

129. John vi. 66 to end. He asks the apostles 
whether they will go away 219 

130. Matt. xv. 1—20. Jesus eats with un- 
washen hands 220 

131. Matt. xv. 21— 28. The woman of Tyre.. 222 

132. Mark vii. 31 to end. The deaf and dumb 
man 223 

133. Matt. xv. 29—31. Christ heals the mul- 
titude on the mountain- top 224 

134. Matt. xv. 32 to end. He feeds five thou- 
sand with seven loaves and a few small 
fishes 226 

135. Matt. xvi. 1—4. He refuses to grant a 
sign to the Pharisees and Sadducees 1 227 

136. Matt. xvi. 5 — 12. He warns his disciples 
against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sad- 

d ucees 229 

137. Mark viii. 22—26. He cures a blind man 

by touching him twice 230 

138. Matt. xvi. 13 — 20. He pronounces a bless- 
ing upon Peter 232 

139. Matt. xvi. 21 to end. He reproves Peter. . 234 

140. Matt. xvii. 1—4. The Transfiguration.. . 235 

141. Matt. xvii. 5—9. The voice of God on the 
Mount 236 

142. Matt. xvii. 10 — 13. Christ converses with 
his disciples respecting Elijah 238 

143. Mark ix. 14— 27. The afflicted father... 239 

144. Matt. xvii. 19—21. Christ speaks to his 
disciples on the power of faith 241 

145. Luke ix. 43—46. He foretells his suf- 
ferings 242 

146. Matt. xvii. 24 to end. He pays tribute. •• ■ 243 

147. Mark ix. 33—37. He teaches humility 

by the example of a child 244 

148. Mark ix. 38—42. He directs his disciples 
not to forbid the man who cast out devils in 

his name 245 

149. Mark" ix. 43 to end. He warns his disci- 
ples against the unquenchable fire and nev- 
er-dying worm 247 

150. Matt, xviii. 10 — 14. He declares how 
precious the little ones are in the Father's 
sight 248 

151. Matt, xviii. 15 — 17. He directs his disci- 
ples how to treat an offending brother 249 

152. Matt, xviii. 18 — 20. He promises to hear 
their united prayers 250 

153. Matt, xviii. 21 to end. The parable of the 
unforgiving servant 252 

154. Luke x. 1 — 16. He sends out seventy dis- 
ciples 253 

155. John vii. 1—13. The brethren of Christ 
reproach him 254 

156. John vii. 14—29. He defends himself for 
healing on the sabbath-day 255 

157. John vii. 30 — 36. He speaks of going 
where his enemies could not come 256 

158. John vii. 37—39. He invites the thirsty 

to come to him 258 

159. John vii. 40 to end. The enemies of 
Christ dispute concerning him 259 

160. John viii. 1 — 11. He refuses to condemn 

a sinful woman 2C0 

|61. John viii. 12—20. He declares that the 
Father is his w.Vness 261 



EVENING SCRIPTURE PORTION. 

Amos viii. A famine of hearing the words of the 

Lord. 
Job ix. God treads upon the waves of the sea 

Ps. xix. The preciousness of God's word. 

Ex. xvi. 1—21. Manna given. 

Ex. xvi. 22 to end. Manna laid up. 

Rev. iii. Supping with Christ. 

Col. i. Thankfulness for conversion 

1 Cor. xvi. Love to Christ. 

Is. xxix. Hypocrisy. 

Job i. Trials. 

Job xxxiii. God's various dealings with men. 

Ps. ciii. The Lord's mercy. 

Ps. xxxiv. The blessedness of trusting in God, 



Jonah i. ii. The whale. 

1 John iv. The truth. 

Ex. xxxiii. The request of Moses. 
Acts. iii. The apostles heal a lame man. 

2 Cor. xi. Sufferings for Christ's sake. 
Ps. xvi. xvii. Heavenly desires. 

Ex. xix. Mount Sinai. 

2 Kings ii. Elijah's translation. 

Horn. viii. 18 to end. The Spirit's intercession 
Heb. xi. 23 to end. The power of faith. 

1 Thess. iii. The afflictions of believers. 

1 Kings xvii. Elijah miraculously fed. 

Numb. xvi. 1—35. The rebellion of Korah, l/-« 

than, and Abiram. 
Numb. xi. 16 to end. Moses' refusal to forbid t.^9 

prophets. 

James iv. Resistance of evil. 



Gen. xxviii. Jacob's dream. 

2 Thess. iii. Brotherly admonition. 

Acts xii. The prayers of the church for Peter. 
Col. iii. Forgiveness of injuries. 

3 Epistle of John. Kindness to ministers. 
Jer. xii. Jeremiah's treacherous brethren. 
Job xxii. Acquaintance with God. 

Rom. xv. The gospel preached to the Gentiles. 
Is. xliv. The promise of the Holy Spirit. 
Jer. xxvi. Jeremiah's apprehension and acquittal. 
Ez. xviii. 19 to end. " Why will ye die ?" 
Rom. i. 1—23. The knowledge of God. 



CONTENTS. 



19 



EXPOSITION. PAGE. 

16% John viii. 21 — 27. He warns his enemies 
a^iinst dying in their sins 263 

1G3. John viii. 28—42. He instructs the new 
believers 264 

164. John viii. 43 — 50. He accuses his ene- 
mies of being the children of Satan 265 

165. John viii. 51 to end. He speaks of Abra- 
ham 266 

166. Luke x. 37—20. The return of the sev- 
enty disciples < 268 

167. Luke x. 21—24. The Saviour's joy 269 

168. Luke x. 25—37. The good Samaritan ... 270 

169. Luke x. 38 to end. Martha and Mary ... 272 

170. Luke xi. 1 — 13. Christ encourages his 
disci pies to pray • 273 

171. Luke xi. 37—44. He exposes the hypoc- 
risy of the Scribes and Pharisees 274 

172. Luke xi. 45 to end. He exposes the wick- 
edness of the lawyers 276 

173. Luke xii. 1—12. He warns his disciples 
against hypocrisy 277 

174. Luke xii. 13 — 21. The rich fool who was 
suddenly cut off 278 

175. Luke xii. 22—34. He warns his disciples 
against worldly carefulness 280 

176. Luke xii. 35—48. He exhorts thera to 
watch for his second coming 281 

177. Luke xii. 49—53. He foretells that the 
gospel will occasion divisions . 283 

178. Luke xii. 54 to end. He reproves the 
people for not discerning the signs of the 
time 284 

179. Luke xiii. 1 — 5. He speaks of two awful 
events that had lately happened at Jerusa- 
lem 286 

180. Luke xiii. 6—9. The parable of the fig- 
tree 287 

(81. Luke xiii. 10 — 17. Christ restores a wo- 
man who was bowed together 289 

182. John ix. 1 — 5. The man who was born 
blind 290 

183. John ix. 6—23. Christ directs the blind 
man to wash in Siloam 292 

184. John ix. 24—34. The Pharisees cast out 
the man who was born blind 293 

185. John ix. 35—38. Christ finds the out- 
cast 295 

186. John ix. 39 to end. Christ accuses the 
Pharisees of wilful blindness 296 

187. John x. 1 — 6. The parable of the good 
shepherd 298 

188. John x. 7 — 13. Christ explains the par- 

a ble of the good shepherd 299 

189. John x. 14 — 21. He concludes his dis- 
course concerning the £Ood shepherd 301 

190. John x. 22—30. He declares that he and 

his Father are one 302 

191. John x. 31 to end. The Jews attempt 
to stone him for saying he is the Son of 
Cod 303 

192. Luke xiii. 23—30. Christ describes the 
misery of those who shall be shut out of his 
kingdom 305 

193. Luke xiii. 31 to end. He replies to Her- 
od's threatening 306 

194. Luke xiv. 1— 11. He reproves the ambi- 
tious guests 307 

195. Luke xiv. 12—14. He advises his host to 
invite the poor 308 

196. Luke xiv. 15 — 24. The parable of the 
great supper 310 

197. Luke xiv. 25 to end. Christ declares that 
his disciples must encounter great difficul- 
ties : 311 

198. Luke xv. 1 — 10. Parables of the lost 
sheep, and of the lost piece of silver 312 

199. Luke xv. 11—16. The departure of the 
prodigal son 314 

200. Luke xv. 17 — 19. The repentance of the 
prodigal son 315 



EVENING SCRIPTURE PORTION. 

Rev. xiv. Judgment and salvation. 

Rom. vi. The slavery of sin. 

Jude. The fall of Satan. 

Gal. iii. The faith of Abraham. 

Rev. xx. The book of life. 

2 Sam. xxiii. 1 — 23. David's chief desire. 
Ex. xxiii. Kindness to the stranger. 
Ps. cxix. 97—182. Love to God's law. 
Ps. lxv. The power and goodness of God 

Job xv. The insignificance of man. 

2 Chron. xxiv. Zechariah the prophet. 

Gal. ii. Dissimulation. 

Eccles. ii. Search after happiness. 

Phil. iv. The Lord's care of his people. 

1 Thess. v. The Lord's second coming. 

Micah vii. Family divisions. 

Daniel xii. The time of the end. 

1 Sam. xxii. Abiathar the priest. 

Zeph. iii. The punishment and pardon of Israel. 

Ps. cxlvi. cxlvii. The poor and afflicted. 

Eccles. ix. Diligence. 

Ps. cxlii. cxliii. The prayers of the desolate. 

Is. Ii. Encouragement for the persecuted. 

Acts v. 17 to end. Persecution. 

Acts xiii. 1 — 13. Elymas the sorcerer. 

Ps. xxiii. xxiv. The good shepherd. 

Jer. xxiii. 1 — 32. Careless pastors. 

Acts xxii. Paul sent to the Gentiles. 

Ps. lxxx. The Shepherd of Israel. 

Ps. lxxxi. lxxxii. Great men addressed as gods. 

Rev. xxi. Everlasting joy and misery. 

Deut. xxxii. 1—29. The song of Moses near Mount 

Nebo. 
Prov. xxv. Counsels respecting behavior in society 

Deut. xxvi. Kindness to the poor. 

Prov. ix. Wisdom's invitations. 

1 Thess. iii. Afflictions must be expected. 

Rev. vii. Songs of saints and angels. 

Ps. lxxxiv. The happiness of dwelling in God's 

house. 
Jer. xxxi. 1 — 21. Repentance. 



20 



CONTENTS. 



EXPOSITION. PAGE. 

201. Luke xv. 20—24. The reception of the 
prodigal son 316 

202. Luke xv. 25 to end. The envy of the 
prodigal's brother • 317 

203. Luke xvi. 1—8. The parable of the un- 
just steward 319 

204. Luke xvi. 9—13. Christ exhorts his dis- 
ciples to be faithful in the use of riches 320 

205. Luke xvi. 14—18. He rebukes the Phar- 
isees who derided him 321 

205. Mark x. 13—16. He blesses little chil- 
dren 323 

207. Luke xvi. 19—24. The rich man's peti- 
tion for his own relief. 324 

208. Luke xvi. 25—28. His petition for his 
brethren 326 

209. Luke xvi. 29 to end. Abraham's reply to 
the rich man 327 

2J0. Luke xvii. 1—4. Christ teaches the for- 
giveness of injuries 328 

211. Luke xvii. 5—10. The disciples pray for 
more faith 330 

212. Luke ix. 51 — 56. James and John betray 

a revengeful spirit 331 

213. Luke ix.57 to end. Christ replies to three 
persons 332 

214. Luke xvii. 11—19. The ten lepers 334 

215. Luke xvii. 20—24. Christ prepares his 
disciples for his absence 335 

216. Luke xvii. 25 to end. He prepares- them 

for his sudden return 337 

217. Luke xviii. 1—8. The parable of the un- 
just judge 338 

218. Luke xviii. 9—14. The prayers of the 
Pharisee and of the Publican 339 

219. Mark x. 17—22. The rich young ruler . . 340 

220. Mark x. 23—27. Christ declares the dan- 
ger of possessing riches 342 

221. Matt. xix. 17 to end. He promises re- 
wards to his faithful followers 343 

222. Matt. xx. 1—16. Tne parable of the la- 
borers in the vineyard 345 

223. John xi. 1 — 6. Christ receives a message 
from Martha and Mary 346 

224. John xi. 7—16. He sets out for Beth- 
any 347 

225. Mark x. 32—34. He again predicts his 
sufferings 348 

226. Matt. xx. 20—29. The request of the 
mother and sons of Zebedee 350 

227. Mark v. 46 to end. Blind Bartimeus 352 

228. Luke xix. 1—10. Zaccheus 353 

229. Luke xix. 11— 19. The first part of the 
parable of the ten pounds 355 

230. Luke xix. 20—28. The last part of that 
parable 357 

231. John xi. 17 — 27. Christ converses with 
Martha and Mary at Bethany 358 

232. John xi. 28—36. He goes to the tomb of 
Lazarus 360 

233. John xi. 37—44. The resurrection of Laz- 
arus 361 

234. John xi. 45 — 52. Caiaphas proposes that 
Jesus should be slain 363 

235. John xi. 53 to end. Christ retires to 
Ephraim 365 

236. John xii. 1—8. Mary anoints the Lord 
Jesus 366 

237. John xii. 9 — 19. Christ is honored and 
hated the more on account of Lazarus 368 

238. Matt. xxi. 1 — 9. He approaches Jerusa- 
lem riding on an ass 369 

239. Luke xix. 37 — 40. The chorus of praise 

on Mount Olivet 371 

240. Luke xix. 41 — 44. Christ weeps over Je- 
rusalem 372 

241. Matt. xxi. 10—13. He casts the buyers 
and sellers out of the temple 374 

242. Matt. xxi. 14—16. Children praise Jesus 

vi the temple 375 



EVENING SCRIPTURE PORTION. 

Gen. xlv. Joseph makes himself known to his 

brethren. 
Hosea xiv. The pardoned backslider. 

1 Cor. ix. Earnest endeavors after salvation. 

Gal. vi. Sowing to the flesh and to the spirit 

Mai. ii. Conjugal treachery. 

1 Sam. iii. The calling of Samuel. 
Ps. xlix. Vanity of earthly glory. 

Rom. ix. St. Paul's love for his brethren. 

Heb. iv. Danger of unbelief. 

Bom. xiv. Regard for weak brethren. 

Gen. 1. Joseph confirms his brethren's pardon. 

2 Kings i. Elijah brings down fire from heaven. 

1 Kings xix. Elijah calls Elisha. 

Gen. xl. The butler's ingratitude to Joseph. 
Amos v. The day of the Lord. 

Gen. vi. The flood. 

Lam. iii. 1 — 36. Prayer of the church in trouble 

Titus iii. Free justification. 

Ruth i. The faithful daughter-in-law. 
James ii. The rich and the poor. 

2 Cor. i. Consolation in sufferings. 
2Chron. xxxiv. 1—28. Josiah's early piety. 

1 Thess. iv. The resurrection of the saints. 
Acts xxi. 1 — 19. St. Paul's willingness to suffer 
Is. xliii. Encouragement to trust in God. 

2 Cor. x. Against vain-glory. 

Ps. lxxxvi. Prayer for mercy. 
Joshua xxiv. Holy resolutions. 
Rom. xii. Christian duties. 

Acts ix. 32 to end. Dorcas. 

1 Cor. xv. 1—34. The power of Christ's resurrec 
tion. 

Is. lxiii. The sympathy of Christ. 

Heb. xii. God's design in chastening his people. 

Numb, xxiii. Balaam's prophecies. 

Gen. xxxvii. Joseph betrayed by his brethren. 

2 Sam. vi. David dances before the ark. 

Rev. xv. Saints in glory. 

Zech. ix. Prophecy concerning Christ riding on 

an ass. 
Ps. lxxi. The aged Christian's song of praise. 

Jer. ix. Jeremiah weeps over Jerusalem. 

Mai. i. Contemplation of God's ordinances. 

Ps. viii. ix. Judgment of Christ's enemies. 



CONTENTS. 



21 



EXPOSITION. PAGE. 

2*3. John xii. 20 — 26. Some Greeks desire to 
see Jesus 377 

244. John xii. 27—33. The Father answers 

his Son from heaven 378 

245. John xii. 34 — 36. Christ exhorts the peo- 
ple to believe while they have the light 379 

246. John xii. 37 — 41. Some refuse to believe 380 

247. John xii. 42, 43. Many who believe re- 
fuse to confess Christ 382 

248. John xii. 44 to end. Christ declares him- 
self to be the light of the world 383 

249. Mark xi. 11 — 19. He curses the barren 
fig-tree 385 

250. Mark xi. 20—26. Christ and his disci- 
ples pass by the withered fig-tree 386 

251. Matt. xxi. 23—32. The elders question 
the Lord concerning his authority 388 

252. Luke xx. 9—19. The parable of the re- 
bellious husbandman in the vineyard 389 

253. Matt. xxii. 1—14. The parable of the 
man without a wedding garment 391 

254. Matt. xxii. 15—22. Christ replies to the 
Pharisees and Herodians respecting paying 
tribute 392 

255. Luke xx. 27—38. He replies to the Sad- 
ducees respecting the resurrection 394 

256. Mark xii. 28—34. He replies to a scribe 
concerning the greatest commandment 396 

257. Matt. xxii. 41 to end. He questions the 
Pharisees concerning himself. 397 

258. Matt, xxiii. 1 — 12. He warns the people 
against the pride of the Pharisees 399 

259. Matt, xxiii. 13—15. He denounces three 
woes against the Pharisees 400 

260. Matt, xxiii. 16—28. He denounces four 
more woes against the Pharisees 402 

261. Matt, xxiii. 29—36. He denounces the 
last wo against the Pharisees 403- 

262. Matt, xxiii. 37 to end. He laments over 
Jerusalem 405 

263. Mark xii. 41 to end. He commends a poor 
widow 406 

264. Matt. xxiv. 1, 2. He foretells the de- 
struction of the temple 407 

265. Matt. xxiv. 3—14. He foretells the signs 

of the end 409 

266. Matt. xxiv. 15—23. He directs his disci- 
ples when to flee from Jerusalem 410 

267. Matt. xxiv. 24—31. He describes his sec- 
ond coming 412 

268. Matt. xxiv. 32—41. He foretells the sud- 
denness of his second coming 413 

269. Matt. xxiv. 42—44. He counsels his dis- 
ciples to watch for his return 414 

270. Matt. xxiv. 45 to end. He describes the 
end of faithful and unfaithful servants 416 

271. Matt. xxv. 1—13. The parable of the ten 
virgins 417 

272. Matt. xxv. 14—30. The parable of the 
talents 418 

273. Matt. xxv. 31 to end. He describes the 
last judgment 420 

274. Luke xxii. 1—6. Judas offers to betray 
Christ 421 

275. Luke xxii. 7—15. Peter and John pre- 
pare the passover 423 

876. Luke xxii. 14—18. Christ gives the cup 
before supper 424 

277. John xiii. 1—17. He washes his disci- 
ples' feet 425 

278. John xiii. 18—22. He foretells that one 

of the twelve shall betray him 426 

279. Luke xxii. 21—30. The apostles dispute 
concerning which shall be the greatest 428 

280. Matt. xxvi. 21—25. They inquire who 
shall betray their Master 429 

281. John xiii. 23—30. Christ gives the sop to 
Judas 430 

282. John xiii. 31—35. He gives a new com- 
mandment 432 



EVENING SCRIPTURE PORTION. 

Rev. v. The glorious Son of God. 

Deut. v. The voice of God in the fire. 

Ps. xii. Prophecy concerning Christ abiding for- 
ever. 
Is. vi. The message of wrath. 
Dan. iii. The three men in the fiery furnace. 

Jer. xiii. Warning of approaching darkness. 

Is. v. The Lord's vineyard. 

1 Chron. vi. 12 to end. Solomon's prayer. 
Acts ix. 1 — 31. The conversion of Paul. 
Ps. cxviii. The corner-stone 

Zeph. i. Strange apparel. 
Rom. xiii. Obedience to rulers. 

Ex. iii. The God of Abraham. 

Deut vi. Love to God. 

Ps. ex. cxi. David's Lord. 

Ez. xxviii. Proud Tyre. 

Micahiii. Warnings to wicked rulers and teachers. 

Mai. iii. God sits as a refiner. 

2 Chron. xxxiv. 14 to end. The blessing bestowed 
on King Josiah. 

Rom. xi. The restoration of the Jews. 

2 Cor. viii. Exhortation to liberality. 

Is. ii. Earthly glory. 

2 Thess. i. Coining judgment on persecutors 

Dan. ix. The abomination of desolation. 

Rev. xix. Christ's second coining. 

Is. Ixv. The Lord's enemies divided from his ser- 
vants. ' \ 
Is. xxiv. Terrors of the last day 

Is. xxv. Waiting for the Lord. 

Dan. v. Belshazzar's feast. 

2 Tim. i. The kindness of Onesiphorus. 

1 John iii. Love to the brethren. 

Acts v. 1 — 16. Ananias and Sipphira. 

Gen. xxiv. 1—28. The prayer of Abraham's ser 

vant. 
Ex. xii. 1—36. The passover. 

Phil. ii. The condescension of Christ. 

2 Tim. iii. Hypocrites. 

1 Cor. iv. The sinfulness of pride. 

Jer. xvii. The depravity of the human heart. 

Job xxiv. Deeds of darkness. 

1 Cor. xiii. Charity, or love. 



22 



CONTENTS. 



EXPOSITION. PAGE. 

283. John xiii. 36 to end. He foretells Peter's 
denial 433 

284. Luke xxii. 31—34. He tells Peter he has 
prayed for him 435 

285. Luke xxii. 35 — 38. He prepares the apos- 
tles for approaching danger- 436 

286. Luke xxii. 19, 20. He ordains his holy- 
supper 438 

287. John xiv. 1 — 3. He promises his disci- 
ples to receive them into his Father's 
house 439 

288. John xiv. 4—7. Thomas makes an in- 
quiry 440 

289. John xiv. 8—12. Philip makes a re- 
quest 442 

290. John xiv. 13 — 20. He promises to an- 
swer his disci pies' prayers 443 

291. John xiv. 21—23. Jude asks for an ex- 
planation 444 

292. John xiv. 24—26. Christ promises his 
disciples that the Holy Ghost shall teach 
them 446 

293. John xiv. 27 — 29. He promises to give 
them peace 447 

294. John xiv. 30 to end. He goes forth to 
meet the prince of this world 448 

295. John xv. 1 — 8. He declares he is the 
true Vine 449 

296. John xv. 9 — 12. He assures his disciples 

of his love 451 

297. John xv. 13—16. He calls them his 
friends 452 

298. John xv. 17 to end. He prepares them 

for the world's hatred 453 

299. John xvi. 1 — 4. He prepares them for af- 
flictions 455 

300. John xvi. 5 — 11. He promises to send the 
Comforter to reprove the world 456 

301. John xvi. 12 — 15. He promises to send 
the Spirit to teach his disciples 457 

302. John xvi. 16 — 22. The disciples cannot 
understand their Lord 458 

303. John xvi. 23 — 27. Christ assures them 

of his Father's love 460 

304. John xvi. '28 to end. He foretells that all 
his disciples will forsake him 461 

305. John xvii. 1 — 5. He begins to pray in the 
presence of his apostles 462 

306. John xvii. 6—10. He speaks to his Fa- 
ther of his apostles 464 

307. John xvii. 1 1—19. He prays for them ... 465 
3U8. John xvii. 20 to end. He prays lor all 

who shall believe on him 466 

309. Luke xxii. 39—46. The Redeemer's ago- 
ny in the garden 468 

310. Matt. xxvi. 36 — 46. The disciples sleep 
instead of watching 469 

311. Matt. xxvi. 47 — 50. Judas betrays his 
Master 470 

312. John xviii. 1 — 9. The enemies of Christ 
fall to the ground 472 

313. Matt. xxvi. 51—54. Peter cuts off" the ear 

of the high priest's servant 473 

314. Luke xxii. 50 — 53. Christ heals the ser- 
vant's ear 474 

315. Mark xiv. 51—54. A young man follows 
Christ 476 

316. John xviii. 19—24. An officer strikes him 
with the palm of his hand 477 

317. Matt. xxvi. 59— 66. The false witnesses. 479 

318. Luke xxii. 63—65. The servants of the 
high priest insult Christ 480 

319. Mark xiv. 66 to end. Peter denies him.. 481 
3-20. Luke xxii. 66 to end. The council con- 
demn him 483 

321. Matt, xxvii. 3—10. The death of Judas.. 484 

322. John xviii. 28 — 38. Christ appears before 
Pontius Pilate 486 

323. Luke xxiii. 4 — 12. He appears before 
Herod 488 



EVENING SCRIPTURE PORTION. 

Acts iv. The courage of Peter and John. 

Job ii. Satan tempts Job the second time. 

2 Cor. vi. The sufferings and conduct of faithful 

ministers. 
1 Cor. xi. The Lord's Supper. 

Acts vii. 37 to end. The death of Stephen. 



Rom. x. Salvation by Christ alone. 
Ps. xiv. The glory of the Son of God. 
Acts ii. 1—31. Descent of the Holy Ghost. 
Eph. iii. St. Paul's prayer for the saints. 

1 Cor. ii. The teaching of the Holy Spirit. 

Is. 1 vii. Peace. 

Col. ii. Christ's triumphs over principalities and 

powers. 
Titus i. False professors. 

2 Epistle of John. Christian love. 
Is. xli. Abraham the friend of God. 

1 Peter iv. Christians hated by the world. 
Rev. xii. Persecution for Christ's sake. 

Zech. iii. iv. The power of Christ and the Spirit 

2 Cor. iii. The glory of Christ. 

Ps. xcvii. xcviii. Joy at the Lord's coming. 

Heb. x. Access to the Father through Christ. 

Hab. iii. Rejoicing in God in affliction. 

Is. xlix. The covenant of the Father and the Soq 

Heb. viii. The great High Priest. 

Rom. vii. The believer's hatred of sin. 

Ps. lxxxix. The blessedness of the children o\ 

Christ. 
Heb. v. The prayers and tears of Christ. 

Ps. Ixxxviii. The desolation of Christ. 

Ps. Iv. The treachery of Judas. 

Ps. xxvii. xxviii. The consternation of f'hrist't 

enemies. 
Rev. xiii. The sword. 

Judges ii. Incorrigible wickedness. 

1 Cor. x. Temptation. 

1 Tim. i. Conversion of a persecutor. 

Ps. xxxv. False witnesses. 
Is. 1. Insults offered to Christ. 

2 Cor. vn. True repentance. 

Acts viii. Faith in the Son of God. 

Acts i. The death of Jnda.' 
Prov. viii. Heavenly wisdom. 

Heb. iii. The danger of unbelief. 



CONTENTS. 



23 



EXPOSITION. PAGE. 

324. Matt, xxvii. 35—20. Pilate's wife 489 

325. Matt, xxvii. 20—25. The multitude pre- 
fer Barabbas to Christ 491 

326. Matt, xxvii. 26— 30. The band of soldiers 
mock him ■ • • • 492 

327. John xix. 4 — 9. Pilate shows him in his 
royal robes to the Jews 494 

328. John xix. 10—16. Pilate delivers him 

up to be crucified 495 

329. Mark xv. 20—21. Simon bears the cross. 496 

330. Luke xxiii. 27—31. The weeping women 498 

331. Matt, xxvii. 33, 34. Golgotha 499 

332. Luke xxiii. 33, 34. The Crucifixion 500 

333. John xix. 19— 22. The superscription.. . 502 

334. John xix. 23, 24. The division of the gar- 
ments 503 

335. Matt, xxvii. 39 — 44. All men unite in 
mocking Christ 504 

336. Luke xxiii. 39—43. The two malefactors 506 

337. John xix. 25 — 27. Christ commits his 
mother to the care of John 507 

338. Matt, xxvii. 45—49. The darkness 509 

339. John xix. 28—30. The sponge of vinegar 510 

340. Luke xxiii. 46. The last words of Christ 511 

341. Matt, xxvii. 51— 54. The earthquake 513 

342. John xix. 31, 32. The death of the two 
thieves 515 

343. John xix. 33 — 37. A soldier pierces the 
Lord's body 516 

344. John xix. 38 to end. The burial 517 

345. Luke xxiii. 54 to end. The women pre- 
pare spices 519 

346. Matt, xxvii. 62 to end. The priests set a 
watch around the tomb 520 

347. Matt, xxviii. 1—4. The resurrection 521 

348. Mark xvi. 1—8. Three women visit the 
tomb 523 

349. John xx. 1—10. Peter and John visit the 
tomb 524 

350. John xx. 11—18. Christ appears to Mary 
Magdalene 526 

351. Matt, xxviii. 9, 10. He appears to the 
faithful women • 527 

352. Matt, xxviii. 11—15. The Pharisees bribe 
the watch 528 

353. Luke xxiv. 1—12. Women visit the tomb 529 

354. Luke xxiv. 13—24. The journey to Era- 
maus 531 

355. Luke xxiv. 25 — 35. Christ makes him- 
self known at Emmaus 532 

356. Luke xxiv. 36—43. He eats in the pres- 
ence of his disciples 534 

357. John xx. 19—23. He bestows the Holy 
Ghost on his disciples. •> 535 

358. John xx. 24 to end. He convinces the 
unbelieving apostle 536 

359. John xxi. 1 — 14. He appears to seven 
disciples on the lake of Gennesareth 537 

Christmas Day 539 

360. John xxi. 15—17. He questions Peter 
concerning his love 539 

361. John xxi. 18 to end. He foretells the 
manner of Peter's death 540 

362. Matt, xxviii. 16 to end. He meets his 
disciples on a mountain 542 

363. Mark xvi. 15 — 18. He promises to bestow 
miraculous gifts 543 

364. Luke xxiv. 44 — 49. Christ opens the un- 
derstandings of his disciples 545 

365. Luke xxiv. 50 to end. The ascension . • . 546 



EVENING SCRIPTURE PORTION. 

Rev. vi. Martyrs and persecutors. 

Ps. cix. Curses denounced on Christ's enemies. 

Ps. cxxix. cxxx. The stripes of Jesus. 

Is. lii. The visage marred. 

Is. lix. Judgments on Christ's enemies. 

Ps. cii. The weakness of Christ's body. 
Lam. ii. The sorrows of Jerusalem. 
Lev. xvi. The day of atonement. 
Zech. xii. The pierced Saviour. 
Heb. vii. Christ a king and a priest. 
Jer. xxxviii. Jeremiah in the dungeon. 

Eph. v. The love of Christ. 

Acts xvi. Conversion of the jailer. 
Philemon. Kindness to the saints. 

Ps. xxii. Christ on the cross. 

U. liii. Prophecy of Christ's sufferings and glory. 

P>. xxxi. Trust in God. 

Heb. ix. The way into the holiest. 

Is. Ixvi. Everlasting torments. 

Rev. i. The pierced Saviour. 

Acts. x. Peter preaches the gospel to Cornelius. 
Is. Iviii. Hallowing the sabbath. 

Rom. ii. The inconsistency of hypocrites. 

Is. xxvi. The resurrection. 

1 Peter iii. Holy women. 

Is. lxiv. The happiness of believers. 
Ps. xlii. xliii. Panting after God. 

2 Peter iii. The end of the world. 

1 Tim. vi. The love of money. 

Ps. xxv. A prayer for pardon. 

Ps. lxxvii. The' disconsolate church. 

Cant. iii. Seeking Christ. 

1 John i. The apostles' knowledge of Jesus. 

2 Cor. ii. Pardon in the name of Jesus. 

2 Kings iv. 1—37. The faith of the Shunamuate. 
Ruth ii. The Lord's kindness to Ruth. 



Suspend the course for the day, and read — Is. ix. 
1 — 8, and Luke ii. 1 — 15. 

1 Peter v. Feeding the flock. 

1 Peter i. Prophecy of Peter's death. 

Rev. iv. The glories of heaven. 

Eph. iv. The gifts of Christ. 

1 Cor. i. The preaching of the cross. 

Zech. xiv. The Lord's return and glorious reign 



INTRODUCTION 



Can there be any account in the world so interesting to us as the 
history of our Lord and Saviour, while he spent thirty-three years 
upon earth ? There were persons with him who heard his sayings 
and observed his actions. Four holy men, as you are aware, wrote 
accounts of his life. It might well be supposed that these histories 
would not contradict each other, for they were all true. But the wri- 
ters not only wrote what they knew to be true — the Holy Spirit in- 
structed them what to relate. They were inspired of God. When 
we read their writings, we read the words of God himself. With 
what reverence should we attend ! As some of these four Evangelists 
related one event, and some related another, it is interesting to place 
their accounts together, endeavoring to observe, as well as we can, the 
order of time in which the events occurred. Such an arrangement is 
called a " Harmony." 

We shall begin with the words of John, because he speaks of Jesus 
before he came into the world, even when he was with his Father in 
heaven. We shall find that the Son of God made the world. He did 
not appear in it as a man, till four thousand years had rolled away ; 
but long before he came, he was promised by God, and described by 
the prophets, such as Moses, David, Isaiah, and many others, — of 
whom Malachi was the last. 

At length he appeared, and fulfilled all that had been said of Him. 

Let us read of Him, as of one that came into the world to save us. 
Every thing that concerns him is of the greatest importance to us ; for 
if we do not believe on him, and love him above all, we shall perish 
forever. Let us, therefore, always before we read, lift up our hearts 
to God in prayer. 

" O Lord, grant unto us thy Holy Spirit, that our souls may be saved 
by the knowledge of thy blessed Son !" 

4 



26 INTRODUCTION. 

We shall not always meet together to worship God as we do now. 
A day will come when each of us will unite with the rest in reading 
and prayer for the last time. 

But if we believe in Jesus, we shall not part forever. We shall 
meet again in Heaven. Then how delightful it will be to look back 
jpon the time, when as one family, we used to assemble to hear about 
Dur beloved Lord. Many hours which we spent lelow may then be 
remembered with regret ; but not those precious moments devoted to 
hearing about Him, whose presence will make us happy through 
eternity . 



THE FOUR GOSPELS; 

A PRACTICAL FAMILY COMMENTARY. 



Jan. 1* 
John I. 1-5.— The Word. 



Who is the Word spoken of in these verses ? He is the Son of 
God. He is called the Word, because he makes God his Father 
known to us. How is it our thoughts are made known to our fellow- 
creatures 1 By our words. Thus the unseen Father is made known 
to men by his Son Jesus Christ. No man can know the Father, but 
by the Son. The Son and the Father are distinct persons, for it is 
written in the first verse, " The Word was with God ;" that is, the 
Son was with the Father. Yet the Son and the Father are one God, 
for it is added, " The Word was God." 

But even if we had not found this sentence, " The Word was God," 
we should have known that he was God, by the things that are said of 
him in the following verses. 

First, it is declared that he was from the beginning with God. 

Now God is the First, and if the Son of God is from everlasting, 
then he is First, and he must be God. Again it is declared that all 
things were made by him. Thus we know the Son is tjie Creator of 
the world. He cannot then be a creature ; for no creature can " cre- 
ate." God alone can create. 

Then again it is said, He is the " Life." He gives life. All the 
angels in heaven cannot give life to the smallest insect, or even to the 
meanest flower : but the Son can give life to the creatures he has 
made ; not only natural life, but spiritual and eternal life. Lastly, it 
is declared that he is the Light of men : a brighter light than the sun, 
a light which shines into the heart and enlightens the dark mind. 

And what is man called? Observe the name that is given to him. 
He is called " Darkness." In verse the fifth it is written, " The light 
shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not." Ever 
since Satan, the prince of darkness, tempted Adam and Eve to eat the 
forbidden fruit, the minds of men have been dark ; they have neither 

* Though it cannot be supposed that families, in reading these sections, will be able to ad- 
here to the days of the month, yet the date is marked for the advantage of young persons 
who may read the work in private. 



28 THE WITNESS. [jAN. 2. 

known what is right, nor loved what is good. Christ came into the 
world to bring light to the dark minds of men. But alas ! how few 
receive him ! Most people are so much pleased with the trifles of 
time, or so much taken up with the cares of the world, that they turn 
away from the Son of God. This blessed book which we hold in our 
hands tells us about Him. Does not each of us wish to be happy for 
ever ? Then let us listen attentively, and let us entreat God to give 
us faith that we may believe and be saved. 

Scripture portion for the other part of the day.* 
Gen. I. The Creation. 



John I. 6-11.— The Witness. 



Before the Lord Jesus came into the world, God sent a man called 
John to be a witness to him. He is called the Baptist, and was not 
the same John who wrote the history we are now reading. 

John the Baptist was a faithful preacher, a burning and a shining 
light, but he was not that light ; he was not the Son of God. 

He was only a man ; but he loved the Son of God, and he desired 
that all men through him, that is, " through his preaching," might 
believe in Jesus. It is the desire of every faithful minister, that 
through him men should believe in Christ. God does make men the 
instruments of turning the hearts of their fellow-creatures to God. 
Many of the children of Israel did John turn to the Lord their God. 
It is not ministers only who turn the hearts of sinners ; but other 
Christians also. There is an account of a poor gipsy woman who, by 
her conversation, converted no less than twelve persons.f What an 
honor it would be to us if God should cause any one to believe in 
Jesus through us — through what we said or did ! May our light so 
shine before men, that they, seeing our good works, may glorify our 
Father who is in heaven ! 

In the ninth verse it is said that Jesus lights every man that comes 
into the world. This means that Jesus is the only light — just as there 
is only one sun in the sky to give us light : so there is only one Saviour 
to save us. But Jesus does not light those who never heard of him. 
The heathen sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. Neither does 
he light all who have heard of him. He shines around us : but if we 
are blind, he does not give light even to us. 

How affecting it is to read that his own world did not know him 
when he appeared, that his own nation the Jews, his brethren accord- 

* As the portion of Scripture in which remarks are made is often very short, another 
larger portion has been selected for reading at another part of the da)'-. 
t See the history of " The Aged Gipsy:" a tract published by Nisbet. 



JAN. 3.] THE SONS OF GOD. 29 

ing to the flesh, did not receive him ! " He came unto his own, and 
his own received him not." As if a mother were to appear among her 
children, and they should deny that she was their mother. How many 
people are there now who are not ashamed to say, " I do not pretend 
to be religious," which means, " I do not pretend to love God," as if 
they had nothing to do with God, as if he had not made them, and did 
not feed them, and watch over them continually. What should we 
think of a child who should say of an affectionate parent, " I do not 
pretend to care for him ?" What would a parent feel, who heard a 
child speak thus ? There is no parent who feels so tender an interest 
in his children as Christ felt for his people the Jews. Remember the 
tears he shed over Jerusalem, when he uttered those touching words, 
" How often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen 
gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not !" 

Are there any here who now refuse to receive the loving Saviour 
into their hearts ? Let me entreat you no longer to grieve him by 
treating him thus. You are the work of his hands. He longs to make 
you happy. Open your hearts to him, and receive him as your Lord. 

Evening Scripture portion. James V. Conversion of sinners. 



John I. 12, 13. — The sons of God. 

We know that when the Lord Jesus came into the world, the greater 
part of men despised and rejected him ; but there were a few who re- 
ceived him. They believed in him ; that is, they received Jesus into 
their hearts. And now observe what a glorious privilege God bestowed 
upon these believers. He gave them " power to become the sons of 
God." He adopted them as his sons and heirs. It is wrftten in Ro- 
mans viii. 15, " Ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we 
cry, Abba, Father ;" and again, " If children, then heirs." God will 
bestow upon his adopted children his riches in glory. " He that over- 
cometh shall inherit all things. I will be his God, and he shall be my 
son." — Rev. xxi. 7. 

But what is the reason that some believed in Jesus ? Were they 
by nature better than others ? Were their hearts softer, so that they 
could not reject their dying Saviour ? No : they were by nature like 
others — but they were born of God. As it is written in the thirteenth 
verse, " Which were born of God ;" that is, of the Spirit of God. 

We are also told what they were not born of. Let us consider each 
of the expressions : — 

" Not of blood:" that is, they did not believe because they were of 
the blood of any good man, such as Abraham. Many who were of 
the blood of Abraham did not believe in Christ ! Neither were they 



30 THE TESTIMONY OF JOHN. [JAN. 4. 

born of the will of the flesh. They did not believe, because it was the 
will of their flesh, or of their nature to believe. They did not choose 
Christ from their own power. If they had been left to themselves, 
they would have refused him ; for the natural man receiveth not the 
.things of the Spirit of God. 1 Cor. ii. 14. Neither were they born 
of the will of man. They did not believe because it was the will of 
any man that they should believe. Such persons are not converted as 
a minister most desires to convert, or as he thinks it most likely will 
be converted. It is the will of God that makes a man believe. 

If we have been born of God, we see that it was not because we 
were of the blood of any pious parents or ancestors ; it was not be- 
cause it was the will of our flesh to believe, for we were dead in sins. 
It was not because it was the will of man. No pious minister or friend 
could have made us believe. But if we have been raised from the 
death of sin, it was the power of God that raised us. Therefore to 
God be all the glory. 

If we have not been born again, then let us go to God, who alone 
can convert us, and entreat him to put forth his great power to make 
lis believe that we may become the children of God and heirs of the 
kingdom of glory. For it is too true that until we believe in Christ, 
we are the children of Satan, and not the children of God. Who can 
bear the thought of being the child of the devil, and an heir of wrath ! 
Yet what does the Apostle Paul say to the Ephesians ? He says of 
himself and of them, " We were by nature the children of wrath, even 
as others." — ii. 3. But we may be born again; we must be born 
again. Then we shall belong to the family of God, and be the heirs 
of heaven. 

Evening Scripture portion. Eph. II. Regeneration. 



John I. 14 — 18. — Tlie testimony of John. 

Tn the beginning of this chapter we read of a great wonder, that the 
Word was with God, and yet was God. We cannot understand how 
this could be. In this passage Ave read of another wonder, yet we 
are so much accustomed to hear it, that we almost forget to consider 
the greatness of the wonder, " The Word was made flesh." God 
became man ; he "dwelt among us." 

When we look around us at this great world, and at the heavens 
spangled with stars, and think that He who made all these things 
became a weak man, who ate, drank, and slept like ourselves, do we 
not feel amazed ? We may well inquire why God became a man, and 
dwelt among us ? 

It was to save us from everlasting misery. We are told in verse 
14, "He was full of grace and truth." He came to bring grace to 




JAN. 



THE TESTIMONY OF JOHN. 31 



sinners, to pardon their sins by his free grace. He came to suffer 
all he had said he would suffer. He had said he would surfer our 
punishment, and he was full of truth, and suffered it all, showing 
that God hated sin, and that he would punish it with death. 

Now, John the Evangelist, when he speaks of Jesus, breaks out 
into an exclamation at the remembrance of his glory. He says in 
verse 14, " We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of 
the Father." John had really seen Jesus. As he says in his First 
Epistle, i. 1, speaking of Jesus, "that which our eyes have seen, 
which we have looked upon." 

" We beheld his glory." What glory does he here refer to ? Does 
he refer to the glory which shone on the mount, when " his face did 
shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light?" — Matt. 
xvii. 2. Perhaps it is to this glory he refers, or perhaps it is to the 
glory of holiness which always shone* in Jesus, and which the world 
could not see ; for they saw " no beauty in him, that they should de- 
sire him." — Isaiah liii. 2. But those who believed in him saw this 
glory. Do we see it ? Has the Spirit opened our inward eyes, so 
that we see Christ to be worthy of all our love ? 

There was a man who saw this glory, and pointed Jesus out to 
others. His name was John the Baptist. 

He spoke of him long before he saw him. At last he saw him, 
and said to the people, " This is he of whom I spake. He that Com- 
eth after me is preferred before me ; for he was before me." Jesus 
was six months younger than John the Baptist, therefore John said 
he came after him. Yet he was before him, because he was with 
his Father before he came into the world. 

Who is speaking in verse 16? Not John the Baptist, but John 
the writer of this history. He speaks in the highest terms of love 
and praise of our great Saviour. How happy are they who can say 
with John, " Of his fulness have all we received, and grace for 
grace." In Jesus there is a full store of grace, sufficient^ for every 
believer. And do we not need these graces ? Do we not often la- 
ment our want of patience, meekness, kindness, and charity ? Jesus 
is willing to bestow them all upon us. Moses was a great lawgiver ; 
but he could not bestow grace. Moses appointed many forms and 
ceremonies, to represent the wa3? of salvation, but Jesus brought salva- 
tion. Therefore it is written, " Truth came by Jesus Christ." 

The Father dwelleth in light which no man can approach unto ; but 
he spared his Son from his bosom that. we might behold him. Though 
we have not seen him ourselves, we have heard enough about him to 
make us love him. If our hearts were not like stones by nature, we 
should have loved him from the first moment we heard of him ; and 
yet perhaps there may be some here who had lived twenty or thirty 
years in the world before they began to love him ; and there may be 
others who do not love him yet. May the Lord soften their hearts. 
Evening Scripture portion. 2 Cor. IV. The glory of Christ. 



32 THE PREFACE TO ST. LUKE. [JAN. 5. 



Luke I. 1 — 4. — The Preface to St. Luke. 

The holy Evangelist Luke writes a short preface before his history 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

This preface is a kind of letter to Theophilus, for whose use espe- 
cially he wrote the history. Let us inquire who Luke was, and who 
Theophilus was. Luke is not mentioned in any of the Gospels ; but 
Saint Paul speaks of him in his epistle to the Colossians, as, ".the 
beloved physician," iv. 14. There is reason also to suppose he was 
not a Jew, but a converted heathen ;* yet he had the honor of writing 
a part of the holy Word of God. Theophilus was probably a gov- 
ernor ; therefore he was called " most excellent," as dukes are now 
styled " your grace," and kings " your majesty." Theophilus, though 
a nobleman, had been instructed" in religion by some of God's servants ; 
but Luke wished him to know the history of the Lord still more per- 
fectly. He says in the fourth verse, that he had written this account 
that " thou (Theophilus) mightest know the certainty of those things 
wherein thou hast been instructed." 

It appears that other persons had written histories of Christ. These 
persons had not been directed by the Holy Spirit, as the Evangelists 
had ; neither had they themselves witnessed the events they had re- 
lated. They had written from " report," and their accounts contained 
errors. It is happy for us that these erroneous accounts have not 
been handed down to us, but only the inspired histories of the four 
Evangelists. 

Saint Luke himself had not been an eye-witness of the events he 
records ; yet we cannot say he wrote from " report :" for he was 
directed by the Spirit of God. He had enjoyed great opportunities of 
knowing about Jesus : he declares in v. 3, that he had had perfect 
understanding of all things from the " very first," or from the very 
earliest part of our Saviour's life. Still his history would not have 
been reckoned a part of the holy Bible, if the Holy Spirit had not 
directed him what to write. This book has always been read in the 
assemblies of Christians, and called the word of God. 

Let us thank God for this part of his word. How many interesting 
events and parables are related by Luke, which we should never have 
known had he not written ! How we ought to value every thing that 
concerns the Lord Jesus ! When we love a friend, we desire to know 
every thing about him, and to hear what he did even when he was a 
child ! W r hen we have lost him, we think over his dying words, and 
lay them up in our hearts ! How much more should we delight in 
knowing all that concerns the best of friends ! When we consider 

* In Colossians iv. Saint Paul speaks of several persons who were of the circumcis- 
ion, that is, who were Jews, and then adds, " These only are my fellow-workers unto 
the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort to me." Yet he afterwards mentions 
Luke. He must have been a comfort to him: therefore it is concluded he was not a Jew 



JAN. 6.] THE ANGEL'S VISIT TO ZACHARIAS. 33 

who he was, the Lord of Glory, we can compare no earthly friend to 
him ; all is wonderful that relates to him. It is affecting to hear how 
the poor heathen, when first converted, value the word of God ! Before 
the missionaries in the South Sea Islands could print the Bible in the 
language of the people, the poor natives eagerly listened to all that was 
read aloud on the Sabbath, and many wrote down upon the leaves of 
trees the texts they had heard, and studied them wherever they went 
till they knew them by heart. We are without excuse if we remain 
ignorant of the history of our Lord. Let us not, however, forget for 
what purpose we read : that we may learn to love Jesus. We are apt 
to become fond of human creatures whom wa know intimately. How 
much more might it be expected that hearing of Jesus would make us 
love him ; for he is far more excellent than any creature, and far more 
full of love to us than our dearest friend. Yet our hearts are naturally 
so much hardened against God, that unless the Holy Spirit soften 
them, we shall not love him. May that Spirit be with us, while we 
read day after day the history of our blessed Lord. 

Evening Scripture portion. 
1 Tim. III. Inspiration of the Scriptures. 



Luke I. 5-14. — The Angers visit to Zacharias. 



'a 



Luke said in his preface, that he had perfect understanding of all 
things from the very first ; so we find that his history begins very 
early indeed, and describes events that happened before the birth of 
Jesus. 

John the Baptist was bora six months before Jesus. In this chapter 
we have an account of his parents. His father was a priest named 
Zacharias. His mother Elizabeth also was of the family of the priests, 
the descendants of Aaron. 

Zacharias and Elizabeth " were righteous before God." How could 
they be righteous ? Is it not written, " There is none righteous ; no, 
not one?" God, who knows all . hearts, has made, this declaration. 
But when a man believes in Christ, he becomes righteous, for the 
righteousness of Christ becomes his. Jesus bare our sins that we 
might obtain his righteousness. But it may be said, " How could 
Zacharias and Elizabeth believe in Christ ? Did they not live before 
he came into the world ?" They did. But they believed in the 'prom- 
ise of a Saviour ; and thus they became partakers of his righteousness. 
It was in this way Abraham was righteous. It is written, " He be- 
lieved in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness." — 
Gen. xv. 6. Faith is the means by which sinners receive the right- 
eousness of Christ. It has often been compared to the hand; and 

5 



34 THE ANGEL'S VISIT TO ZACHARIAS. [JAN. 6. 

righteousness to a treasure. As the hand grasps the treasure, so faith 
lays hold of Christ's righteousness. 

Zacharias and Elizabeth were pardoned sinners. Therefore they 
were sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Though still subject to sin, they 
indulged in no sinful habits. They were not satisfied (as hypocrites 
are) with observing those commandments that it was convenient to 
obey, while they neglected those that were more difficult : but they 
walked in all the commandments of the Lord blameless. We shall 
soon have a proof that they were still subject to sin ; for we shall soon 
read how Zacharias was overtaken by unbelief. 

Zacharias and Elizabeth had no child ; and the want of children 
was considered by the Jews as a heavy affliction. Yet at length they 
became the parents of one of the greatest prophets that ever appeared 
in the world. All the circumstances connected with this event were 
very remarkable. 

As Zacharias was a priest, it was his office at certain times to burn 
incense in the temple. The priests were so numerous, that they could 
not all live at Jerusalem. They were divided into twenty-four cour- 
ses ; and each course came up to Jerusalem in its turn, to serve for one 
week in the temple. It was determined by lot every morning who 
was to enjoy the privilege of burning incense that day at the golden 
altar. The priest, on whom the lot fell, went alone into the temple 
both morning and evening, to burn sweet spices as an offering to God, 
while the people remained in the court repeating public prayers for a 
blessing upon all nations. 

On the day when God purposed to speak to Zacharias, he caused 
the lot to fall upon him. The most minute circumstances are under 
his control, and are often the beginnings of very great events. 

When Zacharias beheld the angel standing by the altar, he was 
troubled. We always find that men are troubled at the presence of 
angels. Yet Zacharias had no reason to fear, for the heavenly mes- 
senger came not to destroy him, but to bless. He said, " Thy prayer 
is heard." What prayer ? Was it for a son that Zacharias had pray- 
ed 1 Or was it that the Saviour might soon come into the world ? 
Both these blessings were soon to be bestowed. A son was to be born 
to Zacharias, to prepare the way for the Saviour that was to be given 
to men. Well might a father rejoice at the birth of such a son ! His 
very name showed that God would bless him and make him a bless- 
ing. The word " John" signifies " the grace or favor of God." When 
a child has been born, it has very seldom been known whether he 
would become a curse or a blessing. There has often been joy at the 
birth of children, who have lived to do great harm, and even to break 
their parents' hearts. When Cain was born, Eve rejoiced ; saying, 
" I have gotten a man from the Lord :" little thinking how wicked a 
man he would be. Other children have been born undesired ; perhaps 
the family was already numerous and ill-provided for ; yet some of 
those unwelcome little strangers have lived, not only to rejoice their 



JAN. 7.] THE PROPHECY CONCERNING JOHN THE BAPTIST. 3") 

parents' hearts, but to save souls from eternal death. Did Christians 
know when a faithful minister was born into the world, how much they 
would rejoice ! We cannot tell, when we look upon a helpless babe, 
what it will become ; but we may offer up our earnest prayers that it 
may be a blessing and not a curse. 

Evening Scripture portion. Rom. III. Righteousness. 



Luke I. 15-17. — The Prophecy concerning John the Baptist. 

How happy was Zacharias to hear such a character of his promised 
son from the lips of an angel ! His son was to be " great in the sight 
of the Lord." It would not be a blessing to have a son great in the 
sight of the world. Those who are great in the sight of the Lord 
are despised by the world. Men said of John the Baptist, " He hath 
a devil," and they counted the apostles as the ofTscouring of all things. 

The angel said that John was to drink neither wine nor strong drink. 
He should be filled with the Holy Ghost, and many of the children of 
Israel should he turn to the Lord their God. Why then was John to 
drink no wine ? Because he was a Nazarite. A Nazarite was a person 
separated unto the Lord in a very singular manner. Sometimes the Isra- 
elites made vows thus to separate themselves for a week, or a month, 
or a longer space of time. During that time they tasted neither wine 
nor grapes ; and they suffered the locks of hair on their heads to grow 
long. Some children were made Nazarites from their birth. Samuel 
was thus devoted to the Lord by his praying mother ; and Samson by 
the appointment of an angel. John the Baptist was also a Nazarite 
from his birth. Jewish ceremonies have ceased since the Lord Jesus 
has made known his Gospel. But though we ought not to become 
Nazarites, we ought, like them, to be devoted to the service of God, 
and separated from the sinful pleasures of an ungodly world. 

The angel also declared that the child soon to be born would go be- 
fore the Lord in the spirit and power of Elias. If we read the history 
of the prophet Elijah, we shall see a great resemblance between him 
and John ihe Baptist. 

They were like each other in spirit. Both were faithful and coura- 
geous. Elijah prophesied in the court of the wicked king Ahab, and 
his more wicked queen ; and by his boldness endangered his life. 
John reproved King Herod so faithfully for his sins, that he was im- 
prisoned, and at length murdered at the request of the cruel Herodias. 
In spirit therefore John resembled Elijah. 

He came also in the power of that great prophet ; and, like him, he 
had great success. At one time Elijah thought there was not a single 
pious prophet in all Israel ; and he complained to God, saying, " I, 



36 THE UNBELIEF OF ZACHARIAS. [jAN. 8. 

even I, only am left:" but such power accompanied his instructions, 
that before he was taken up to heaven, there were numerous young 
men, called sons of the prophets, all over the land, training up for the 
ministry. John the Baptist also had great, success ; and some of 
his disciples were numbered among the apostles of the Lamb. 

But the most delightful part of the angel's message to Zacharias was 
the promise that the Saviour should soon come. He spoke of the Sa 
viour as the Lord God of Israel ; for he said, " And many of the 
children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God ; and he shall 
go before him in the spirit and power of Elias." 

The Son of God was coming into the world to shed his blood to save 
sinners ; yet it was necessary that one should go before him to turn 
the hearts of men towards him. What a proof this is of the wicked- 
ness of the human heart! It is turned against God. Satan, in the 
garden of Eden, turned the heart of Eve against her best friend. Now 
every one is an enemy of God, until he is converted. God sends his 
faithful preachers to turn our hearts towards himself. Have not some 
tried to persuade us to turn to the Lord ? Have they succeeded in 
persuading us ? It is an awful thing to hear sermons, and to disregard 
what we hear. Time is passing swiftly away — Jesus will come again 
in power and great glory. If, when he comes, he finds us unprepared, 
we shall be shut out of his presence forever. 

Evening Scripture portion. Numbers VI. 1-12. The Nazarite. 



Luke I. 18-23. — The Unbelief of Zacharias. 

Zacharias was so much astonished at the message of the angel, 
that he wanted to see some sign or miracle to prove that the angel 
came from God. "Why was it wrong in Zacharias to desire a sign ? 
Because he had already had one. The glorious appearance of the an- 
gel, which had filled him with fear, was a sufficient sign. God does 
not wish us to believe things without any proof. If he were to send a 
prophet to speak to us, he would give us some sign to show us that 
the prophet really came from him. When Moses spoke to the Israel- 
ites in Egypt, he gave them two signs ; his rod was turned into a ser- 
pent, and his hand was made white with the leprosy, (Exod. iv.) God 
is angry when men will not believe, when he has given them a sign. 
It was sinful in Zacharias not to believe after he had seen the glorious 
angel. Thus we find that though he was righteous before God, he 
was still subject to sin. 

Unbelief is a great sin ; for it is an insult to the truth of God. The 
angel rebuked the unbelieving priest, saying, " Thou shalt be dumb." 
This gentle chastisement would at once remove the doubts of Zacha- 



JAN. 9.] THE ANGEL'S VISIT TO MARY. 3? 

rias and remind him of his sin. In this way, God deals with his own 
people, when they forget what a great God He is. 

Zacharias at length came out of the temple. It was now expected 
that he should bless the people in those beautiful words recorded in 
Numbers vi. 24 — 27, beginning, " The Lord bless thee and keep 
thee ;" but he could not speak, and he made signs to show the people 
what he had seen in the temple. 

Each division of priests remained to serve in the temple from one 
Sabbath to the next ; in a few days, therefore, at the furthest, Zacha- 
rias returned to his own house among the hills. What a history he 
had to unfold to Elizabeth ! For he was able to inform her in writing. 
What a proof she beheld of the power of God in the dumbness of her 
husband ! We should take notice of God's dealings with others. 
"Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even he shall under- 
stand the loving-kindness of the Lord." — Psalm cvii. 43. 

How humbly and gratefully Elizabeth behaved on this occasion ! 
She acknowledged the goodness of the Lord in having condescended 
to look upon her affliction ; for she had been exposed to much reproach 
on account of having no child. When troubles are removed, we are 
apt to overlook the Lord's merciful hand ! Perhaps we have been 
suffering under some trial ; the unkindness of a relation, the dread of 
sickness, or the pressure of poverty : God removes the trial, and we 
forget how much it weighed us down before, and so we omit to thank 
the Lord heartily. 

A holy minister named Rutherford, in one of his letters, written two 
hundred years ago, says, that one of the things which most showed 
him his own wickedness by nature, was his feeling more disposed to 
call upon the Lord in trouble, than to thank him when delivered. Let 
us think over the things that troubled us a few years ago, and bless the 
hand which has lightened our load. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ex. IV. 1-17. Two Signs wrought by looses. 



Luke I. 26-33. — The AngeVs visit to Mary. 

God appointed that his Son should be born six months after John. 
So six months after the angel had spoken to Zacharias, he came to 
Mary. She was a poor woman, of a low, mean city, called Nazareth. 
She was indeed descended from King David, who had lived more than 
a thousand years before, and she was engaged to be married to a man 
called Joseph, also descended from King David. It had been pro- 
phesied that the Son of God should be born among David's family. 
Isaiah calls the Saviour " A rod out of the stem of Jesse," (Isaiah 
xi. 1,) for Jesse was the father of David. Jesse was like a tree, of 
which Jesus was a rod or branch. 



38 THE ANGEL'S VISIT TO MARY. [jAN. 9. 

It seems probable that the angel visited Mary when she was alone. 
He said, " Hail," bidding her rejoice because a wonderful favor was 
about to be conferred on her. 

The Roman Catholics pretend that the words " highly favored" 
mean " full of grace ;" and say, that Mary can now impart grace, and 
that the angel worshipped her. But we know that Mary was but. a 
creature, and even a sinful creature, and that it is idolatry to treat her 
as the Lord. 

Mary was full of humility ; and God loves to honor the humble. 
She was alarmed at the salutation or speech of the angel ; but she was 
soon desired not to fear, and was informed of the wonderful event 
about to happen. 

The Saviour so long expected was to be her son. He was to be 
called " Jesus," which signifies Saviour, and is the same name as 
Joshua.* The angel said this Saviour should be a great king. Per- 
haps you will inquire, Was he not equal with God ? was he not King 
of Kings from everlasting ? Yes : but the angel spoke of his great- 
ness in his human nature. As a man, he was to be king ; therefore 
it was said that " the Lord would give unto him the throne of his father 
David." He was to be King over the house of Jacob, that is, over the 
Jews, the descendants of Jacob. The words that were afterwards 
written over the cross were true, " The King of the Jews." But is 
he not King of the Gentiles also ? Yes ; he is : and the day shall 
come when every tongue will confess that he is Lord ; and when every 
knee will bow to him. (Phil, ii.) 

Of his kingdom there shall be no end. Other kingdoms have come 
to an end. Nebuchadnezzar saw in a dream an image which repre- 
sented all the kingdoms of the world : and he saw a little stone over- 
throw this image, and this stone become a mountain. (Dan. ii.) The 
stone represented Christ. He will bring all kingdoms to an end ; and 
then he will be King over all the earth. (Zee. xiv. 9.) Then there 
will be no more war, nor famine, nor misery ; men will obey Christ's 
laws, and live in holiness and peace. 

That day is not come yet. Very few persons have submitted to 
Christ ; very few seek to do his will. Christ is a king against whom 
his subjects have rebelled. But do you not think that a king loves his 
faithful subjects at such a time ? How dear to him is their obedience, 
when others scorn him ! Does our King and Saviour count us among 
his faithful subjects ? Then he will acknowledge us when he comes 
in glory. This song shall soon be sung in heaven by the saints : 
" We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, 
and art to come ; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power and 
hast reigned." (Rev. xi.) Then He will give reward to them that 
fear his name, small and great. 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. XI. Christ the rod out of Jesse's stem. 
* Joshua is called Jesus in Hebrews iv. 8. 



JAN. 10.] MARY'S VISIT TO ELIZABETH. 39 



Luke I. 34-45. — Mary's visit to Elizabeth. 

The angel had told Mary of the great power and glory of the Son 
she should have. He next told her of the holiness of his nature. His 
body was to be miraculously formed by the power of the Holy Ghost ; 
though born of a human mother. Jesus had flesh and blood like our- 
selves, (Hebrews ii. 14;) and he was subject to all our bodily weak- 
nesses ; he needed food and sleep ; he suffered pain; he shed tears 
and sweat drops of blood ; but he was without sin ; (Heb. iv. 15 :) he 
was " holy, harmless, undefiled." (Heb. vii. 26.) Such was the child 
of whom Mary was to be the mother ! Were such wonderful tidings 
ever delivered to any human creature, as were then spoken to Mary ? 
Yet she believed. Her faith was greater than that of Zacharias ; and 
she received no rebuke from the angel. 

What a prospect lay before her ! Many would disbelieve her story, 
and treat her with contempt. Yet Mary was willing to bear the trial. 
She said, " Be it unto me according to thy word." God often makes 
those suffer most deeply whom he designs to honor most highly. 
When God intends that persons should do much good to souls, (and 
this is one of the highest honors,) he often permits suspicion to be cast 
upon their characters ; but at length he clears their innocence. 

Mary had heard from the angel of the mercy shown to Elizabeth ; 
and she went immediately to see her. 

How interesting it is to hear what happened when these two holy 
women met ! There was a great difference between their ages. 
Elizabeth was very old : Mary was not old : it is probable she was 
very young. Yet she was far more highly honored than her aged rel- 
ative. The old are often envious of the young ; but the pious Eliza- 
beth was ready to do honor to Mary. When she saw her, she spoke 
by the power of the Holy Ghost, and acknowledged her as the mother 
of the Lord. 

It must have comforted Mary to find that Elizabeth also believed in 
the things that were coming to pass. How it must have rejoiced her, 
to hear her say, " Blessed is she that believed." 

These words do not apply to Mary alone ; but to every one that 
believes. What ought we to believe ? All the promises of God. 

He has promised to cast out none that come to him, but to give them 
everlasting life. If we believe this promise, we shall come to him. 
If we have come to him, how many precious promises belong to us ! 
God has promised to hear our prayers, to make all things work togeth- 
er for our good, to deliver us out of every temptation, and to give us, 
even in this life, peace which passeth all understanding. Those who 
trust in these promises find there is a performance of the things that 
were told them. 

It was a good answer that was once given by a poor woman to a 



40 THE SONG OF MARY. [JAN. 11. 

minister who asked her, " What is faith ?" She replied, " I am igno- 
rant : I cannot answer well : but I think faith is taking God at hi,?, 
word." 

Evening Scripture portion. Heb. II. Christ's human nature. 



Luke I. 46-56.— The Song of Mary. 

This beautiful song shows us what was Mary's state of mind at this 
time. We must remember that there was much to try her in her pres- 
ent circumstances, for many people would not believe her account of 
the angel's visit, and would treat her with scorn. Yet she was filled 
with joy, because she enjoyed the favor of the Lord. She said, " My 
soul doth magnify the Lord : and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my 
Saviour." How great was Mary's faith ! Faith enables us to rejoice 
in the midst of trials. Saint Paul had this faith when he said, " 1 
reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be 
compared with the glory which shall be revealed." 

Mary knew that whatever men thought of her then, that all genera- 
tions would " call her blessed," as the mother of the Saviour. Do we 
not think her blessed ? Surely we do. Let us not forget that we may 
be blessed also ; for Jesus said that '■ Whosoever shall do the will of 
my Father, which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and 
mother." (Matt. xii. 50.) And at another time, when a woman said 
how blessed his mother was, Jesus answered, " Rather blessed are 
they that hear the word of God, and keep it." (Luke xi. 28.) 

It is sad to think what a wrong use the Roman Catholics have made 
of the words of Mary. They not only call her " blessed," (and she is 
blessed,) but they worship her, as if she were equal to him, " who is 
over all, God blessed for ever." (Rom. ix. 5.) No : Mary was but 
a creature like ourselves ; though she was made, by the grace of God, 
a holy creature, and was honored in so remarkable a manner. 

We see in her song how great a value she set upon the blessings of 
redemption. She would nol have done so, if she had not felt her need 
of a Saviour. How she delights in praising God ! She calls him 
mighty — " He that is mighty." She calls him holy — " Holy is his 
name." She speaks of his mercy — " His mercy is on them that fear 
him." 

What does she mean in verse 51, when she says, " He hath shown 
strength with his arm ; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination 
of their hearts ?" Pharaoh and his proud captains once desired to de- 
stroy Israel : this was " the imagination of their hearts," but God 
drowned them in the Red Sea. Thus God at last will destroy all the 
enemies of Christ and his people. 

From this song we may learn to what people the Lord is merciful ; 



JAN. 12.] THE CIRCUMCISION OF JOHN. 41 

" He fills the hungry with good things." He fed the poor Israelites, 
when they were hungry, with manna. But it is another sort of hun- 
ger which Jesus delights to satisfy. " Blessed are they that hunger 
and thirst after righteousness." Such hungry souls shall never be sent 
empty away. If a beggar is sent empty away from one house, he can 
go to another ; but if God were to send us empty away, and refuse to 
give us everlasting life, there is no other being to whom we could go. 
Will he send us empty away ? No : he will not, if we feel our need 
of pardon ; but if we fancy ourselves rich in goodness, He will give 
us none of His goodness or righteousness. Those only who know 
they are poor blind miserable sinners, will obtain any thing from the 
Saviour. Let us go now to his throne of grace to ask for mercy, and 
to obtain help in this our time of need ; let us go with lowly hearts, 
feeling our un worthiness and confessing our sins, and He will not send 
us " empty away." 

Evening Scripture portion. Ex. XIV. The Red Sea. 



Luke I. 5-7. — The Circumcision of John. 

When Elizabeth's son was born,' her relations and friends came to 
rejoice with her. Worldly people, when they are prosperous, are often 
envied by their friends : but pious people, when they have received 
any great mercy, generally have friends who really rejoice with them. 

How richly were Elizabeth's friends rewarded for their sympathy ' 
During their visit they witnessed a wonderful proof of God's power. 

It appears that Elizabeth knew what the angel had told Zacharias ; 
for she said that the child was to be called " John," or " the grace of 
God." The friends, by signs, asked the father what the child should be 
called. We see by their making signs to him that he was deaf as well 
as dumb. He asked for a writing table, or tablet. These tablets were 
often spread with wax, and written upon with a piece of steel. Zach- 
arias wrote, " His name is John :" not " he shall be called John ;" but 
his name is John, for the angel had already given the child that name. 
As soon as he had written these words, his tongue was loosed ; and 
he made that use of it for which it had first been given him : he 
praised God. 

The angel had sentenced him to be dumb until the day that the 
things he had told him of, should be performed, (verse 20.) That day 
was now come. 

We perceive in this event how God can bring good out of evil: 
Zacharias by unbelief had become dumb ; but his gaining his speech 
again, must have helped others to believe. 

His friends related the things they had seen ; so that people all 
around wondered what sort of a man John would become. Thus ma- 

6 



42 THE PROPHECY OF ZACHARIAS. [jan. 13 

ny were prepared to pay attention to his preaching when he grew up 
We shall hear little of the childhood of John ; but we know that he 
was holy from his birth. How acceptable to God is the offering up of 
our early years ! as the poet says — 

" A flower, when offered in the bud, 
Is no mean sacrifice." 

How bitter is the remembrance of a childhood and youth of wick- 
edness ! Saint Paul could never remember without grief that he had 
once persecuted God's people. 

Let not those who are young imagine that if they are at length con- 
verted, it will be of no consequence having long resisted the gracious 
offers of God. It is delightful to be able to sing with David, " Thou 
art my trust from my 5^outh." Those who have not turned to God till 
their youth was past, often think within themselves, " O that I could 
pass my time over again ! Had I loved God sooner, what sins I should 
have avoided ! what sorrows I should have escaped ! how much good 
I might have done ! how much glory I might have brought to God !" 

Is it not very ungenerous, because we know that God is willing to 
receive the returning prodigal, to go far from him, not intending to re- 
turn till all worldly pleasures are exhausted ? Yet many who would 
be ashamed to treat an earthly friend in this manner, act thus towards 
their best, their heavenly Friend. 

Evening Scripture portion. Eccles. XII. Early piety 



Luke I. 67 to end. — The Prophecy of Zacharias. 

What great mercy God showed to Zacharias ! Not only He re- 
stored his speech, but He enabled him to prophesy. Zacharias in his 
song does not. speak so much about his own son, as about the Saviour 
whom his son was to serve. This shows that his heart was fixed upon 
spiritual blessings, and not upon his own earthly comfort, or honor. 

In the beginning of his song, he speaks of the Saviour under the 
name of " A horn of salvation," (verse 69.) Why does he give him 
that name ? With its horn an animal destroys its enemies. Christ 
came to destroy the devil and his works. Why then is He not called 
a horn of destruction ? Because he destroys his enemies in order 
that he may save his people : therefore he is called " a horn of sal- 
vation." 

In the latter part of his song, Zacharias calls the Saviour by another 
name, " The dayspring," (verse 78.) The world sat in darkness and 
the shadow of death till Christ appeared. They were like travellers, 
who had lost their way among dangerous cliffs and precipices, and 



JAN. 13.] THE PROPHECY OF ZACHARIAS. 43 

were suddenly overtaken by the darkness ; so that they durst, not stir, 
lest they should fall into some deep pit. All at once the sun arose " to 
guide their feet into the way of peace." 

Our native land once sat in this darkness, and was filled with idols, 
till missionaries came and preached the gospel. But even now that 
Christ's name is known in every town and village, each soul sits in 
darkness till the " Dayspring from on high" shines into the heart. 

In the midst of his song, Zacharias addresses his own infant son, 
saying, " And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the highest." 
At the time he uttered these words, John was a helpless infant ; but 
his father knew how great he would become. . Very little is related of 
his childhood. In the last verse of this chapter it is declared that he 
grew like other children ; and also that he waxed strong in spirit. 
We know what it is to wax strong in body. But what is it to wax 
strong in spirit ? It is to have faith in God's word, and to resist in 
God's strength the temptations of Satan. The apostle John in his 
first Epistle says, " I have written unto you, )^oung men, because ye 
are strong, and the Word of God abideth in you, and ye have over- 
come the wicked one," (ii. 14.) Believers who are strong in spirit are 
called " young men." How then did John become thus strong in 
spirit ? No doubt it was by secret prayer and meditation in the des- 
erts. It is written that " He was in the deserts until the days of lr's 
showing unto Israel ;" or till the time when he began to preach pub- 
licly, which he did either at twenty-seven or thirty years of age. 
Those who teach others must be prepared by learning first of God. 

And what did John the Baptist teach ? His father declares in his 
song what he taught, (76, 77 :) " Thou shalt go before the face of the 
Lord to prepare his ways ; to give knowledge of salvation unto the peo- 
ple by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of, our God." 

It was salvation through Christ that John proclaimed. None of the 
old prophets showed the way as clearly as the holy Baptist. But we 
have heard it still more clearly described by Jesus and hh apostles. 
Have we rejoiced in hearing that sins are pardoned through the blood 
of the Lamb ? None ever rejoiced in hearing these tidings, except 
those who knew that they needed pardon. 

If a man were to enter this room with a pardon from the governor 
in his hand, we should feel neither joy nor gratitude. We should say, 
" There must be some mistake ; we have never been brought to jus- 
tice, nor convicted, nor sentenced to death. What is the use of this 
pardon to us ?" The reason that most people hear the Gospel with 
such indifference is, that they do not know that they are condemned 
by God's law. They say, " Our sins can easily be forgiven ; they are 
neither many nor great ; others have sinned more than we ; surely we 
shall escape punishment." But when a sinner feels that he deserved 
to die, then he thanks God for his tender mercy, in having sent the 
Saviour into the world. 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 John II. Strong in spirit. 



44 THE ANGEL'S VISIT TO JOSEPH. [jan. 14. 



Matt. I.— The Angel's visit to Joseph. 

Matthew wrote his gospel before any of the other evangelists. He 
wrote it for the Jews especially ; and therefore he very often refers to 
the Old Testament, (held in such reverence by the Jews,) and shows 
that Jesus fulfilled what the prophets had said. Luke and Mark, who 
wrote for the Gentiles especially, often explain Jewish customs, but 
Matthew always alludes to them, as customs well understood. Mat- 
thew himself had been a publican, or tax-gatherer, before he was 
called to be one of the apostles of the Lord. His other name was Le- 
vi. Luke speaks of him by that name. Luke v. 27. 

St. Matthew begins his history with an account of the forefathers of 
our Saviour : to show that Jesus was descended from Abraham, and 
from David, as God had promised the Messiah should be. This ac- 
count is called a genealogy. It is Joseph's descent, and not Mary's, 
which is here recorded. St. Luke in his third chapter gives us anoth- 
er genealogy. That genealogy is a little different from this ; it must 
therefore be the genealogy of Mary. It is true the name of Joseph is 
mentioned there also ; but the names of women were never inserted in 
public registers. 

There is one seeming contradiction between the two genealogies. 
St. Matthew says that Jacob was the father of Joseph. St. Luke says 
that Heli was the father of Joseph. We must conclude that Heli was 
the f<ilher-in-law of Joseph, and the father of Mary. How easily the 
difference is explained to a candid mind ! And yet it has been taken 
up by unbelievers and brought forward as an objection against the 
Christian religion. How much at a loss must those be for an objec- 
tion, who lay hold of such a one as this ! 

We will now proceed to the interesting history itself : — 

Joseph is not blamed for his suspicions of Mary, for it appears he 
had no proof that a miracle had been wrought. Still the kindness of 
his heart made him unwilling to expose her publicly. God in his great 
mercy sent an angel to tell him the whole truth. Thus our gracious 
Father will keep us from falling into errors through ignorance, if we 
desire earnestly to know what is right. 

Mary probably suffered much grief from Joseph's suspicions : but 
God cleared up her innocence. Every person who is falsely suspected 
may trust in His fulfilling His promise in Psalm xxxvii. ; " Commit 
thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass : 
and he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judg- 
ment as the noonday." When falsely accused, we should not make 
a loud and angry defence ; but commit our cause to God, and He will 
defend us. 

The concluding words of the angel are very remarkable. They 
are written in verse 21, " Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall 
save his people from their sins." 



JAN. 15.] BIRTH OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. 45 

The name " Jesus" means God the Saviour. Observe, however, the 
nature of this salvation. It is not a salvation in sin, but a salvation 
from sin. " He shall save his people from their sins." If we knew 
what sin was, we should feel what a great salvation this is. Sin has 
ruined this world ; and it will ruin each of us eternally, unless we are 
saved from it. There is only one who is able to save us. That is 
Immanuel, or God with us. Jesus, the Son of God, came down to 
dwell with us that he might save us from dwelling forever with Satan. 
How does he save ? By shedding his own blood as an atonement for 
sin, and then by washing all who believe in him in that blood. There- 
fore his people sing this song of praise to his name : " Unto him that 
loved us and washed us from our sins in his blood, and hath made us 
kings and priests unto God and his Father ; to him be glory and do- 
minion forever and ever. Amen." Rev. i. 5-8. 

Evening Scripture portion. Isa. VII. 10 to end. 



Luke II. 1-7. — The birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

It is very interesting to observe the providence of God with regard 
to the place of Christ's birth. 

The prophet Isaiah had said that the Saviour should be born in 
Bethlehem, (v. 2.) Yet Mary lived in Nazareth, about seventy miles 
distant from Bethlehem. God could easily have commanded Mary to 
go to Bethlehem : but instead of doing this, he caused circumstances 
to happen which induced her to go there. 

The great emperor of Rome, who possessed all the chief countries 
in the world, and among the rest, Canaan, the land of the Jews, desired 
at this time to number his subjects. He sent forth an order to have 
their names enrolled, (as you will find the word is also translated in 
Bibles with marginal readings.) Joseph being descended from King 
David, went to the city of Bethlehem, (whence David came,) to have 
his name enrolled, and Mary his wife accompanied him. 

Caesar Augustus, the Emperor of Rome, little knew that by this 
decree he was causing a prophecy concerning the Son of God to be 
fulfilled ; for he knew nothing of the true God, or of his word. But 
we, who read the history, ought to admire the ways of God : how 
easily he can bring every thing to pass which he has determined to do ; 
for he is " great in counsel" (or in making plans) " and mighty in 
work," Jer. xxxii. 19, (or in bringing his plans to pass.) It is there- 
fore very unbelieving in us to trouble ourselves about the future, for 
there is nothing we can desire that God could not easily cause to hap- 
pen ; and if he does not bring it to pass, it is because the thing we 
desire does not agree with his own wise and gracious designs. 



46 THE ANGELS' APPEARANCE TO THE SHEPHERDS. [.TAN. 16. 

When Mary arrived at Bethlehem, she was obliged to lodge in a 
stable ; for the inn was full, many people having come to have their 
names enrolled also. Thus it happened, that her holy babe was born 
in a stable, and laid in a manger. 

Are we surprised that the glorious Son of God should thus be re- 
ceived into this world ! Let us remember why he came. Not to 
enjoy himself, but to save us. In order to save us, two things were 
necessary. That he should obey the law of God, which we had 
broken, and that he should suffer the punishment due to us for break- 
ing it. 

In order that he might do these things, he was always placed in 
suffering circumstances. Poverty and contempt nursed him in his 
infancy. The most splendid palace on earth would have been too 
humble an abode for him whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain. 
But instead of opening his infant eyes in a palace, he opened them in 
a stable. It was wonderful condescension in him who was equal with 
God, to dwell with men, but in the stable he was surrounded by beasts. 
What must the angels who had worshipped him in heaven have felt 
when they saw him thus degraded ! Yet this treatment was not to be 
compared to that which he afterwards endured on Calvary. As he 
walked through this world at each step his way became rougher ; his 
first bed was a manger, but his last was a cross. And it was men, 
whom he came to redeem, who treated him in this manner. And have 
we not all treated him in the same, casting him out of our thoughts, 
and crucifying him by our sins? Yes, we are all guilty before God, 
and Jesus alone is righteous. But he is not righteous for himself, but 
for us ; neither did he suffer for himself, but for us. He was cast out, 
that we might be brought in. He was rejected of men, that we might 
be accepted of God. 

Evening Scripture portion. Micah V. Bethlehem. 



Luke II. 8-14. — The Angels'* appearance to the Shepherds. 

In the circumstances of our Saviour's birth, there was a great mix- 
ture of meanness and glory. Jesus was laid in a manger ; yet angels 
announced his appearance. But to whom did angels announce it? not 
to princes, but to shepherds ; thus showing that God had chosen the 
poor of this world. Through ail our Saviour's life, there was the same 
mixture of meanness and glory : he lived with fishermen, yet was 
sometimes visited by angels ; he had a sorrowful countenance, yet 
once it shone brighter than the sun ; he was meanly clad, yet, on one 
occasion, his raiment was whiter than any fuller on earth could whiten 
it ; he was so weak that he could not bear his cross, yet so strong 
that he could raise the dead from their graves. 



JAN. 16.] THE ANGELS' APPEARANCE TO THE SHEPHERDS. 47 

Christ's people are like their master ; they are often poor and afflict- 
ed, yet there is a glory about them that makes them as the sons of 
God ; for their minds are filled with nobler thoughts than those which 
occupy the kings of the earth. While princes are thinking of their 
sumptuous feasts, their high titles, and glittering crowns ; the children 
of God are meditating upon the supper of the Lamb, the thrones of 
light, and the God of glory. 

How much astonished the poor shepherds were with the appearance 
of the angel, who turned the darkness into day ! How much his mes- 
sage must also have surprised them ! He told them that the Son of 
God was now come into the world, and was in. the city of David, (or 
Bethlehem.) Was not this news hard to believe ? But what the angel 
added made it harder still ; for he said that this glorious babe was lying 
in a manger. Immediately, however, God confirmed his words by 
causing a multitude of angels to appear in the heavens ; not two or 
three witnesses, but, perhaps, two or three millions. 

These angels were not silent witnesses ; they sang a song, whose 
very words are handed down to us. It is the only song sung by angels 
upon earth that we ever heard. In the book of Revelation some of 
their songs in heaven are recorded ; such as " Worthy is the Lamb to 
receive honor, power, and glory ;" and " Thou hast created all things, 
for thy pleasure they are and were created." But here we read of a 
song to which poor shepherds listened. It is a short song, but contains 
much ; for it explains the purpose for which the Saviour was come in- 
to the world, and the reason he was sent. 

The purpose was to bring glory to God and peace on earth. The rea- 
son he was sent was because God had good-will towards men. " Glory 
to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will towards men." 

Has not Christ's coming brought glory to God ? Since Christ came 
into the world, how many redeemed sinners have glorified God for the 
gift of his Son ! But what are these praises compared to the songs of 
saints and angels throughout eternity ! Never will they cease to praise 
the God of love for sending his only Son to die for wretched men. 
But we may ask, " Is there peace on earth ?" Not yet; but there will 
be. This earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, and 
then war shall cease ; the swords shall be turned into ploughshares, 
and the spears into pruning-hooks, (see Isaiah ii. ;) because the Prince 
of Peace shall reign. 

And are these God's gracious promises to men ? Let us not doubt 
the Lord's good-will towards us. It hurts a tender parent, if he per- 
ceives that his children doubt his good-will towards them : he tries to 
convince them of it by numerous acts of kindness ; and he is much 
disappointed if he cannot succeed in winning their confidence. Has 
not the Lord done enough to convince us of his good-will ? Ought we 
not always to say, " If God spared not his own Son, but gave him up 
for us all, will he not with him freely give us all things." — Rom. viii. 32 

Evening Scripture portion. Rev. V. Angels' songs in heaven. 



48 THE SHEPHERDS' VISIT TO BETHLEHEM. [jaN. 17 



Luke II. 15-20. — The Shepherds' Visit to Bethlehem. 

We find that the shepherds believed the news they had heard 
They did not say, " Let us go and see whether this thing is come to 
pass;" but they said, "Let us now go and see this thing which is 
come to pass." They believed before they had seen. " Blessed are 
they who have not seen, and yet have believed." They spoke also as 
if they felt grateful for having heard the tidings ; for they added, 
" which the Lord hath made known to us." Truly they had reason 
to be grateful : for God had shown them very great favor. Let us not 
forget that we also are among those to whom the Lord has made known 
the birth of his Son. There are millions on this earth who have never 
heard of the love of God, in sending a Saviour ; but we have heard of 
it from our infant days. Do we, like these shepherds, long to see our 
blessed Redeemer? 

How much Joseph and Mary must have been delighted at the en- 
trance of the shepherds ! Though overlooked by the world, the holy 
child was honored by these poor men. Even now there are only a 
few who acknowledge him as their Lord and Master, and these few 
are generally poor, like the shepherds of Bethlehem. 

These good men did not keep the things they had heard and seen, 
a secret. The angel had said that he brought glad tidings which 
should be to all people ; therefore the shepherds told the news to all. 
Like them, if we believe in Christ ourselves, we shall speak of him to 
those who know him not. 

How did the people receive the tidings the shepherds brought ? 
They wondered ; but probably they soon forgot what they had heard : 
while Mary " kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart." 
This is the way in which sermons should be heard, and in which the 
Bible should be read. All who get good from what they hear, keep it, 
and ponder it in their hearts. But how many cast from their minds 
what they hear ! 

There are two comparisons used in the Scriptures to show the care- 
less way in which people hear the word of God. One of these com- 
parisons is contained in Ezekiel xxxiii. 31, 32. The Israelites listened 
to the preaching of Ezekiel as people listen to one who can play well 
on an instrument, and who can sing a lovely song. It is not necessary 
to think of the music we have heard ; it is enough if it pleases us while 
we are hearing it : but we should not listen to sermons in this manner, 
and think it enough, if they amuse us. 

The other comparison may be found in the first chapter of St. 
James's Epistle. It is there said that some listen to God's word as a 
person looks in a glass, and then goes away and forgets what he has 
seen. Such listeners soon lose the good impressions they have re- 
ceived, and continue worldly-minded, and ungodly. 

There is a beautiful description in the first Psalm, of the right man- 



JAN. 18.] THE SONG OF SIMEON. 49 

ner of receiving the word. The godly man is represented as medi- 
tating in God's law, day and night. 

One verse of God's, holy word laid up in the heart will do us more 
good than a whole chapter hastily read, and little considered. Are 
there any passages of the Scriptures which are dear to our hearts ? 
Has any verse strengthened us in the hour of temptation ; or comforted 
us in the day of trouble ? Have we laid up any in store against the 
day when we shall walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 
when flesh and heart will fail, and when no mortal arm can sustain 
our sinking souls ? 

Evening Scripture portion. Ez. XXXIII. 21 to end. 
EzekieVs words listened to as a lovely song. 



Luke II. 21-32. — The Song of Simeon. 

We read that when the Saviour was eight days old, he was circum- 
cised, and named Jesus. It was not necessary that he should be 
brought to Jerusalem for that purpose ; but at the end of forty days, 
when he was nearly six weeks old, he was brought to Jerusalem, for 
two purposes. 

His mother was then first permitted, after the birth of her son, to 
enter the temple. She went there with an offering of thanksgiv- 
ing. If she could have afforded it, she would have brought a lamb 
of a year old ; but being very poor, she presented two doves, or pigeons. 
(See Lev. xii.) In the second place, Jesus as a firstborn son was pre- 
sented to the Lord ; for, ever since the slaying of the firstborn of the 
people of Egypt, and the passing over the firstborn of Israel, God had 
claimed all the firstborn as his own. (Ex. xiii.) The firstborn of 
cows, sheep, and goats were offered in sacrifice : the firstborn of other 
beasts were not offered, but money was presented in their place, and 
this money was used in buying sacrifices. Neither did God suffer 
firstborn children to be offered in sacrifice ; but he permitted them to 
be redeemed with money. 

Mary accordingly came to the temple to present her firstborn son to 
the Lord. When was so acceptable an offering made to the Father ! 
His only beloved Son was brought to his Father's house, and given 
into his Father's bosom. The priest supposed that he was redeemed 
by money ; but this holy child could not be redeemed by money ; he 
was a Lamb without blemish, and upon the altar of the cross he was 
soon to be laid, a willing, a sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole 
world. 

When Mary brought her child into the temple^ a most interesting 

7 



50 THE SONG OF SIMEON. [jan. 18. 

event took place. An aged prophet appeared, and owned the infant 
Saviour as his Lord. 

Prophets had almost ceased to prophesy for many years before 
Jesus came into the world. Malachi, who had prophesied four hun- 
dred years before his coming, was the last whose name is recorded. 
But at the time of his coming, the spirit of prophecy was again shed 
upon some holy persons. We have read the prophecies of Elizabeth, 
and Mary, and Zacharias, in the first chapter of St. Luke, and we now 
read the prophecy of Simeon. God had informed him that he should 
not die till Christ came ; and He had also let him know the precise 
moment when the parents had brought the divine infant into the tem- 
ple. Simeon entered and found Joseph and Mary doing for their child 
after the custom of the law, that is, presenting him to the Lord before 
God's priest. At this interesting juncture, the aged saint first beheld 
his Saviour, took him in his arms and blessed him ; for his faith was 
so strong that he was able to believe that the infant of the poor woman 
he saw, was the Lord of all. 

The words that he uttered as he held the child are very beautiful. 
We perceive that it had been his earnest desire to see his Lord with 
his bodily eyes before he died. This was a very natural desire ; and 
some people who do not really love Christ might desire the same ; 
they might desire it from curiosity, but Simeon desired it from affec- 
tion. And why did Simeon love the Saviour ? Because he valued 
his great salvation ; he was waiting for the " consolation of Israel/' 
(the name given to Christ in verse 25.) He was a penitent sinner, 
and it was a consolation to him to know that God had provided a Sa- 
viour. He calls Jesus " his salvation," in verse 30. " Mine eyes 
have seen thy salvation." He rejoiced also to think that other men 
would be saved through Jesus, both Jews and Gentiles ; for he said, 
(verses 31, 32,) that God had given him to all people, a light to lighten 
the Gentiles, as well as the glory of Israel. 

This shows the love to other men that dwelt in Simeon's heart. He 
longed that all should know his Saviour. It is recorded of a celebra- 
ted minister, named John Howe, that in his latter days he greatly de- 
sired to attain such a knowledge of Christ, and feel such a sense of 
his love, as might be a foretaste of the joys of heaven. After his 
death, a paper was found in his Bible recording how God had answer- 
ed his prayer. One morning, (and he noted the day,) he awoke, his 
eyes swimming with tears, overwhelmed with a sense of God's good- 
ness in shedding down his grace into the hearts of men. He never 
could forget the joy of these moments : they made him long still more 
ardently for that heaven, which, from his youth, he had panted to be- 
hold. How happy thus to see Jesus by faith before we die ! then we 
too shall behold him some day with our bodily eyes ; for though we 
die without that sight, we shall be raised again to gaze upon our glori- 
ous Redeemer, coming in the clouds of heaven. 

All true believers may now say, with Job—" I know that my Re- 



JAN. 19.] THE WORDS OF SIMEON TO MARY. 51 

deemer liveth ; and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the 
earth ; and though after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my 
flesh shall I see God ; whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes 
shall behold and not another." Job xix. 25-27. 

Evening Scripture portion. Job XIX. Seeing the Redeemer. 



Luke II. 33-35. — The words of Simeon to Mary. 

Both Joseph and Mary marvelled at the things spoken of Christ by 
Simeon. The things that made them marvel were that he should be 
" a light to lighten the Gentiles," as well as the glory of Israel ; for 
God's goodness to the Gentiles was a mystery long hidden from the 
Jewish nation. But we happy Gentiles have experienced it, and some 
among us have found Christ to be a light to lighten our darkness. 

Simeon blessed Joseph and Mary : and then he addressed Mary in 
particular, and prepared her for all the shame and sorrow that her Son 
should undergo ; for what he had said before might have led her to 
think that joy only was to be his portion, and that all men, Jews and 
Gentiles, would immediately do him honor. But this was not to be 
the case. So great would be the agonies of the Son, that a sword 
would pierce through the mother's heart. And was not the soul of 
Mary thus pierced, when she beheld her Son expiring on the cross ? 

Simeon's words concerning the child demand attentive considera- 
tion, — " This child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Is- 
rael." Let us inquire into their meaning, for all that concerns our Sa- 
viour is very important to us. How was he the fall of many in Israel ? 
Does Christ make men fall ? Simeon here compares Christ to a stone 
over which many stumble and fall. St. Paul says, in 1 "Cor. i. 23, 
that Christ was to the Jews a stumbling-block, or something over 
which they fell. How was it they fell over him ? Through pride. 
They would not believe that their own righteousness was worthless in 
God's sight, and that Christ's righteousness alone could be accepted. 
This is the account St. Paul gives of Christ's rejection by the Jews. 
His words are, " For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and 
going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted 
themselves unto the righteousness of God : for Christ is the end of 
the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." Rom. x. 3, 4. 
And what is the reason that any still refuse Christ ? Is it not because 
they do not feel their need of his righteousness ? Is it not because 
they feel satisfied with their own performances, and imagine that God 
is satisfied also ? And when they are told that they are sinners, they 
answer in their hearts, if not with their lips, " We are not such great 
sinners as others." People in this state of mind fall over Christ as 



52 ANNA THE PROPHETESS. [jAN. 20. 

over a stumbling-stone : they cannot receive him. because they do not 
desire his salvation. St. Peter, in his Epistle, says that Christ was to 
such persons, " A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to 
them which stumble at the word, being disobedient." 1 Peter ii. 8. 

But Simeon said also that the child was set for the rising again of 
many in Israel. Many of those who fell over him at first, afterwards 
believed, and rose from sin and death by Christ. Many of the priests 
who joined in crucifying the Saviour were afterwards obedient to the 
faith. Acts vi. 7. 

The poor penitent sinner rises by Christ ; that is, he finds in him a 
rock on which to set his feet ; he finds in Christ one who can forgive 
his sins, and save his soul ; then he can say with David, " He brought 
me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my 
feet upon a rock, and established my goings." Ps. xl. 2. 

Simeon next declared that Christ should be set for " a sign which 
shall be spoken against," (verse 34.) 

We should observe that the words, " Yea, a sword shall pierce through 
thine own soul, also," are between marks, and the words are called a 
" parenthesis;" they might be left out without hurting the sense. Let 
us read the sentence without them, that we may better perceive the 
meaning, (verses 34, 35.) 

" A sign which shall be spoken against, that the thoughts of many 
hearts may be revealed." Had Christ not been spoken against, many 
who despised him would have followed him. The people applauded 
him till they heard the scribes and Pharisees speak so much against 
him ; then they cried out, " Crucify him, crucify him." 

True religion is still spoken against. People must often give up the 
favor of the world, if they would be faithful to Christ. For a time, 
perhaps, they may profess to be religious, and lose nothing by it : but 
something soon occurs to try them, and to reveal the real state of their 
hearts. Is a young person willing to lose an opportunity of a good 
settlement, or a tradesman the favor of a rich customer, or a gentleman 
the respect of his acquaintance, sooner than disobey his Lord ? Then 
their faithful thoughts are revealed. Christ is now like a king disgra- 
ced ; only those who really love him will be faithful to him. But 
when he comes in his glory to take possession of his kingdom, he will 
not fail to remember those who are now cast out for his sake. 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Peter II. Christ a stone of stumbling. 



Luke II. 36-40. — Anna the Prophetess. 

We have read of Simeon's blessing the infant Saviour : and we 
now hear of another witness, even Anna, an aged prophetess. 



JAN. 20.] ANNA THE PROPHETESS. 53 

Anna, it appears, had led a very holy life. We do not know her 
exact age ; but if she had been a widow eighty-four years, and if she 
had been married for seven years, she must have been at this, .time 
above a hundred, even supposing that she had married at a very early 
period of life. It is said that " she departed not from the temple." 
By this, we understand that she lived so near the temple, as to enable 
her to attend all its services. When, at nine in the morning, the lamb 
was offered on the altar, Anna was there ; and again at three, when 
the evening lamb was sacrificed, Anna was not absent. She delighted 
in the psalms continually sung in the holy courts ; she listened to the 
daily blessings of the priest. There are now many aged Christians, 
who, like Anna, dwell near some house of God, and delight in attend- 
ing the services ; and, even when their power of hearing has failed, 
they yet take pleasure in joining in the prayers of God's assembled 
saints. How sweet for them to think that they will soon ascend, 
where 

" Congregations ne'er break up, 
And sabbaths never end." 

We hear also that Anna "served God with fastings and prayers." 
She not only fasted and prayed, but she served God when she fasted 
and prayed. She might have fasted and prayed, and not have served 
God ; because she might have done these things in a self-righteous 
spirit, as some of the Jews did, whom God reproves in Isaiah lviii., 
because they fasted and prayed, arid yet were living in their sins. 

It is said that Anna fasted and prayed " night and day :" no doubt 
she was occupied also in many good works, yet she lived in a constant 
habit of prayer. We are desired to pray without ceasing, and to con- 
tinue in prayer, and this is what Anna did. 

In one of St. Paul's Epistles we read a description of such a widow 
as God approves, and we find that such a widow both prays constantly, 
and does all kinds of good works. It is written in 1 Tim. v. 5, " She 
that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and vcontinueth 
in supplications and prayers night and day? It is also written that a 
widow should be " well reported of for good works : if she have 
brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed 
the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently 
followed every good work." From these we see that a person may at 
once pray constantly and do good works also. 

We are not told whether Anna came in by the Spirit, as Simeon did, 
or whether she had been called by some person, or whether she came 
in accidentally ; but we are told that when she did come in, she knew 
the infant Saviour as her Lord. " She gave thanks." 

With what fervor Anna must have thanked the Lord ! None could 
sincerely thank God for Christ in an indifferent, cold manner. Could 
we thank a person for saving our lives in the same manner as we 
thanked him for doing us any trifling service ! Surely, if we thank 
our deliverer at all, we must thank him warmly. Have we ever given 



54 THE WISE MEN'S ARRIVAL. [jAN. 21. 

our warm thanks to God for sending Jesus into the world? If we 
have only thanked him coldly, we have insulted him by our thanks. 

Anna not only thanked God, she also spoke of Jesus to " all them 
that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." It is evident that there was 
a little company of persons there who were looking for redemption from 
sin through the promised Saviour. 

How much refreshed Joseph and Mary must have been by the 
prayers and exhortations of Simeon and Anna ! It is said by St. Luke, 
that they returned to their own city Nazareth ; but we find from St. 
Matthew's history, that they did not return immediately ; they went 
first to Bethlehem, afterwards into Egypt, and at length settled in 
Nazareth. 

And now we turn from the aged saints to the holy child. There is 
but little said of him, but that little shows how holy a child he was. 
He " grew and waxed strong in spirit." Not only his limbs increased 
in strength, but his affection towards his Father waxed strong. It is 
a great mystery how this could be, for he was God ; but we know 
that he had not only a human body, but also a human soul ; and it was 
this soul that waxed strong. It is also written that he was " filled with 
wisdom :" his human mind received more and more knowledge by de- 
grees, like the mind of another child. " The grace of God was upon 
him ;" that is, the "favor" of God was upon him. God looked upon 
his human nature with favor, for as the Son of God, he was always 
infinitely beloved by the Father. 

How different was he from other children, who generally grow 
more wayward end wilful as they grow older ! Even if good impres 
sions are made on their minds at six or seven years old, how often do 
they wear off when they become twelve or fourteen ! their hearts seem 
to grow harder, and to love worldly things more. Was not this the 
case with some of us ! Do we not often look back with sorrow upon 
the days of our childhood ? Have we not reason to say with David, 
" Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions ?" Per- 
haps some are now removed from us, whom we pierced by our heed- 
less or perverse conduct. What would we give to recall the time and 
to act differently ! but we can only express our penitence to God, and 
plead for his pardon. 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Tim. V. A widow indeed. 



Matt. II. 1-8. — The wise men's arrival at Jerusalem. 

We find from St. Matthew's account, that our Saviour returned to 
Bethlehem after he had been presented to the Lord in the temple. 
Perhaps his parents intended to bring him up in Bethlehem, as it was 
the city of David their forefather. But God did not choose that his 



JAN. 21.] THE WISE MEN'S ARRIVAL AT JERUSALEM. 55 

Son should be brought up in a renowned city, but in the despised city 
of Nazareth ; and we shall see that he caused events to happen which 
obliged him to leave Bethlehem. 

While the Redeemer was yet an infant, some wise men came to 
Jerusalem, inquiring for the King of the Jews. Who were these wise 
men 1 They were heathen by birth, but it is not known from what 
land they came. They must have heard of the true God ; perhaps 
some Jews had instructed them. They had seen a star in the east, 
probably some light which they had never seen before. But how did 
they know that this star was the sign of the birth of the King of the 
Jews ? We must conclude that God told them why the star appeared ; 
but whether he told them in a dream, or by what other means, we are 
not informed. Many nations were at this time expecting some great 
deliverer to arise ; for the Jews knew from the prophets that such a 
deliverer would come, and as they were scattered over all countries, 
they had the opportunity to make their expectation generally known. 

These wise men, when they came to Jerusalem, openly asked for 
the expected king, supposing that the Jews, who were God's own 
people, would know more about him than they did, and would be glad 
to receive him. Had these wise men known of Simeon and Anna, 
they would surely have inquired of them ; but they inquired of the 
chief men of Jerusalem, and these knew nothing of him. 

" When Herod the king heard these things he was troubled, and all 
Jerusalem with him." (ver. 3.) This Herod was a very wicked man : 
he was an Edomite ; that is, he was descended from Esau, but he had 
become a Jew in religion ; and he had been appointed king over Jeru- 
salem by the Romans, who had conquered the Jews. Herod shed 
much blood during his reign, and caused his own wife and two of his 
sons to be slain. He was afraid lest some person should take the 
crown from him, and therefore he was much alarmed when he heard 
the wise men inquire for the King of the Jews. 

We may ask, "Why were the people in Jerusalem alarmed also, 
and why were they not rather glad at the thought of having another 
King ?" Perhaps they were afraid of Herod's filling the city with con- 
fusion and blood in opposing the new King. Herod was so artful, 
that, instead of telling the wise men of his fears, he pretended to assist 
them to find out where the child was. For this purpose he adopted a 
very wise method : he desired the chief priests and the scribes, who 
studied the Old Testament a great deal, to tell him where the expected 
Saviour would be born. They examined the writings of the prophets, 
and found that it was declared in the prophet Micah, that he should 
be born in the town of Bethlehem. 

Only one thing more remained to be done ; to find out how old the 
child must be. Herod supposed that the star had first appeared at the 
time the child was born : he inquired of the wise men when it had 
appeared, and discovered that it was more than a year ago. He told 
the wise men to go to Jerusalem and to seek for a child of that age, 



56 THE WISE MEN'S JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM. [JAN. 22. 

promising, when they had found him, to come and worship him also. 
He completely deceived the wise men by his hypocrisy ; but what 
would all his plans avail against the Lord, who searches the hearts ? 
The Lord, that sitteth in the heavens, laughs at all such attempts to 
injure him, as it is written in the second psalm, verse 2-4. 

Herod is an instance that a man may believe the word of God, while 
he hates it. Herod believed that the prophets had spoken truly, and 
had known the place where Christ would be born ; he believed that 
the Messiah would come ; and yet he desired to destroy him, and 
thought it possible to effect his purpose. What madness this appears ! 
It is the faith of devils : like Herod, they believe, and tremble. James 
ii. 19. Let us beware of having such a faith ; a faith that will make 
us afraid of God, and yet not make us love him, or delight to please 
him. This faith will only make us miserable. How different was 
the faith of Simeon and Anna, of the poor shepherds, and of the wise 
men ! They were filled with joy on account of a Saviour's birth. 
Have we ever rejoiced at the thought that Christ has been born into 
the world ? 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. II. 
Matt. II. 9-11. The opposition of the wicked to Christ. 



Matt. II. 9-11. — The wise men's journey to Bethlehem. 

Herod had not been able to give the wise men exact information 
respecting the place where the King they sought would be found : he 
had only told them that he was in Bethlehem. But God did not leave 
them to search in vain. As they were on the way, the star they had 
seen in their own country appeared again, and stopped over the very 
house where the Saviour was. This star could not have been like the 
stars we behold in the height of the heavens, for one of those stars 
could not point out any particular house : it must have been a light, 
floating in the air. 

No doubt the house in which Mary dwelt was a lowly one, but the 
wise men were not discouraged by its meanness from worshipping its 
glorious inhabitant. How often now does Christ dwell with the poor 
tenants of a cottage ! How seldom is he found ruling in the mansions 
of the great, or the palaces of kings ! Yet even among the rich, noble, 
and wise, there are a few who love their despised Saviour. These 
men from the East seem to have been rich, as well as wise ; for they 
brought treasures with them from their native land, and laid them at 
their Redeemer's feet. What must have been their joy at that mo- 
ment ! If the sight of the star caused them to feel exceeding great 
joy, what transport the sight of the Lord himself must have occa- 
sioned ! The luxuries, the splendor, the honor they had enjoyed in 



JAN. 22.] THE WISE MEN'S JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM. 57 

their native land, can never have given them the satisfaction they felt 
when gazing on the glorious infant. 

These men were very different from the shepherds of Bethlehem in 
their circumstances. The most remarkable difference between them 
was this ; the shepherds were Jews, the wise men were Gentiles. 
They were the first Gentiles whose coming to Christ is recorded ; 
their coming was a sign that Gentiles as well as Jews would be saved 
through him. How interesting this fact is to us who are Gentiles. 
Though Christ was born among the Jews, he is our Saviour as well 
as theirs. And his name is now known by millions of the Gentile 
nations ; and it shall be known by every nation under heaven ; for all 
nations shall serve him, and all kings shall fall down before him, as it 
is written in Ps. lxxii. 

But let us not read the history of these wise men without seeking 
to learn something from their example. What earnestness they dis- 
played in their search for the Saviour ! They travelled far to seek 
him ; they inquired diligently after him ; they watched anxiously for 
the sign, when it had ceased to be visible, and rejoiced exceedingly, 
when it again appeared. Surely these wise men, by their conduct, 
condemn those who are living in Christian lands, unmindful of their 
Saviour. There are some who confess they know but little of him, 
and who yet seem unwilling to take any trouble to know him better. 
How would those wise men have valued our advantage ! how dearly 
would they have prized one of our Bibles, one of our faithful minis- 
ters, one of our blessed Sabbaths ! Some there are now among the 
poor heathen, who, by their eager desire to obtain a missionary, re- 
mind us of these wise men. An African chief sent two hundred oxen 
to a missionary settlement, hoping with them to purchase a teacher ; 
such was his ignorance, that he thought he might obtain one by such 
means. Robbers seized upon his herd as it was being driven along. 
Thcugh his disappointment was great, he did not abandon his project 
of obtaining an- instructor. But while he was contriving sbme other 
method of gaining the precious boon, God, in his gracious Providence, 
directed the steps of some missionaries to his land. These good men 
were travelling to a more distant spot, but they could not resist the 
chief's earnest entreaties ; they took up their abode in his country, and 
soon enlightened its darkness with the glorious beams of gospel light.* 
Hid not that African resemble these wise men, and were not his 
hopes, like theirs, fulfilled ? Here is encouragement for all those who 
desire spiritual blessings. The Lord will give them the desires of their 
heart. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. LXXII. Kings shall worship Christ. 
* See Moffat's Southern Africa, the beginning of the last chapter. 

8 



58 THE HEAVENLY WARNINGS. [jan. 23 



Matt. II. 12-15. — The heavenly warnings. 

Twice in a very little space God sent messages to his faithful ser- 
vants in the dreams of the night. One dream was to warn the wise 
men not to inform Herod that they had found the infant King ; the 
other was, to warn Joseph not to remain in Bethlehem. We perceive 
how easily God can defeat the plans of the wicked, as it is written in' 
the fifth chapter of Job : " He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, 
so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise." There is a beau- 
tiful prayer in the liturgy, entreating God to exercise this power in our 
behalf. " Graciously hear us, that those evils which the craft, or sub- 
tlety of the devil or man, worketh against us may be brought to naught, 
and, by the providence of thy goodness, may be dispersed." We see 
how God dispersed those evils which Satan and Herod were working 
against the Son of God. Satan still stirs up wicked men to form plans 
against the children of God ; and still the Lord, by his gracious provi- 
dence, disperses these evils. Are we distressed at the thought of any 
malicious plan being formed against us, either by Satan or by our 
fellow-creatures ? Let us pray to the Lord to defend us. No one can 
harm us, if we are followers of that which is good. 

We have all heard of the Gunpowder-plot. W T hat a diabolical 
scheme it was ! The Roman Catholics had contrived a plan for 
blowing up the king of England, with his family and parliament, be- 
cause they supported the Protestant religion ; but God defeated their 
malicious design. One of the conspirators wrote a letter to Lord 
Monteagle, warning him not to go to the house of parliament, when the 
king next should open it. God gave such discernment to the king, 
that when Lord Monteagle showed him the letter, he suspected that a 
gunpowder-plot had been formed. Thus this dreadful evil was dis- 
persed. 

We find also many instances in the lives of God's servants, of the 
same gracious interference. The missionary Williams was saved 
from falling into the hands of four cruel heathens, who had determined 
to kill him. It was his custom to go sometimes to a neighboring 
island on Saturday to perform the Sabbath services. Four young men, 
who hated the Christian religion, offered to convey him to the island. 
They appeared as if they wished to show kindness to the missionary ; 
but in reality they had agreed, when he was at a distance from the 
shore, to throw him into the sea. Williams accepted the offer. God, 
however, by a very trifling circumstance, rescued him from the snare. 
He had lately painted his boat with a peculiar kind of paint, that did 
not dry as quickly as he expected, and fearing to venture out to sea 
while his boat was in that state, he refused to go with those who de- 
sired to be his murderers. Thus was the wicked scheme frustrated. 
At length, indeed, he fell by the hands of cruel savages ; but not till his 
work was done. 



JAN. 24.] THE SLAUGHTER OF THE BABES. 59 

If we knew all the plans that Satan formed against us> we should be 
filled with wonder at the deliverances we experience. But perhaps 
we may remember some instances in our own lives, in which we dis- 
covered that the attempts of men to hurt us were frustrated. What 
wonderful proofs of the Lord's watchful care over his people will be 
revealed in another world ! Then shall they know those things that 
they know not now. Then it will be found that Job was not the only 
saint whom Satan sought to cast down by the weight of his sorrows ; 
nor Peter the only disciple that he desired to sift by the force of temp- 
tations ; nor the blessed Saviour, the only child that he sought to cut 
off by an untimely death. Then it will appear how the Lord kept his 
people in the hollow of his hand from all the blasts of the enemy ; and 
then there will ascend a chorus of hallelujahs from the happy redeemed, 
and from the glorious angels that were their appointed guard during 
the years of their weakness. 

Evening Scripture portion. Job V. Disappointment of wicked devices. 



Matt. II. 16-18.— The Slaughter of the Babes. 

Every one who reads this passage must shudder at the dreadful 
cruelty of Herod. There was a singular barbarity in ordering the 
babes to be slaughtered ; little creatures who could not have offended 
him, and were unable to resist him. Who can bear to think of the 
anguish of the mothers in that terrible day ! When the firstborn of 
Egypt were slain by the destroying angel, the cry was terrible. Can 
it have been less terrible when the youngest son of many a mother was 
murdered by the pitiless executioner? We know that the mother's 
heart clings closely to her helpless infant. Tears and entreaties were 
all in vain : not only the babes of Bethlehem were slaughtered, but the 
babes in all the coasts or places round about. 

We might be disposed to ponder how any human creature could 
perpetrate so atrocious a deed, did not the history of ungodly men 
disclose every kind of bloody act. This very Herod, just before his 
death, knowing how glad people would be when he expired, caused a 
number of Jews to be shut up, and desired that as soon as he was dead 
they should be killed ; for by this means he hoped that the relations of 
the slaughtered Jews would be obliged to mourn. This command, 
however, was not obeyed. Such a king as Herod cared not for the 
lives of infants in comparison to his own security. Though few in a 
Christian land would dare to commit such acts of cruelty as Herod did, 
yet are not the feelings of unconverted men as selfish as his ? Are we 
not all by nature so selfish, that we care not what calamities come upon 
others, if we gain any thing by them ? For instance, are not people 



60 JOSEPH'S RETURN. [jan. 25. 

glad of a war, if it will promote their trade, though they know war 
brings misery upon thousands of their fellow-creatures ? 

How interesting was the fate of these infants ! they died in the Sa- 
viour's stead. Some have called them martyrs, because they died for 
Christ, though without their own knowledge. In the service of the 
Church of England they are spoken of as the Innocents. A babe may 
be called " innocent," because it has not yet committed any acts of 
sin ; still it has a sinful nature, and would, if it lived, sin as soon as 
reason dawned. There never was but one truly innocent babe : it was 
the infant Saviour. 

Why is Rachel spoken of in the passage quoted by Jeremiah ? Be- 
cause Rachel was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, and many of 
those babes were descended from her. She is represented in a poeti- 
cal way, as weeping over her murdered offspring. 

This was the scene on earth. How different were the scenes then 
witnessed in heaven ! What a multitude of happy spirits then entered 
together into glory ! David was comforted when he lost his little one, 
by the thoughts of beholding it again. He said to those who wondered 
at his cheerfulness, knowing, as they did, his affection for his child, 
" I shall go to him ; but he shall not return to me." 2 Sam. xii. 23. 
If David, who lived before the coming of Christ, was supported by this 
confidence, how much more ought parents who live after his coming 
to be consoled by such thoughts when they lose their darling infants ! 
Do not they know how Christ loved little children, and how he took 
them in his arms and blessed them, and how he said, " Of such is the 
kingdom of heaven ?" The believing parent may feel assured that he 
shall see his child again among the cherub choir. Well may he love 
that Saviour to whose grace he owes the happiness of his departed little 
one. 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Sam. XII. 13-23 



Matt. II. 19-23. — Joseph's return. 

What an important charge was committed to Joseph ! The care 
of the infant Saviour and of his mother. How honorable was the 
post he occupied ! He was a shield from the darts of the enemy to 
the blessed child. God did not leave him without assistance in perform- 
ing his allotted work. Joseph knew not how to protect his little family ; 
he knew not when dangers awaited them, or when those dangers were 
removed. 

In this chapter, God directs Joseph three times by dreams how to 
act ; he tells him when to depart into Egypt, when to return to Canaan, 
and in what city to fix his abode. Does not this kindness shown to 



JAN. 25.] JOSEPH'S RETURN. 61 

Joseph give us reason to expect that God will direct his people now, 
when they are perplexed and at a loss how to act ? Persons who 
desire to act right, are often in much perplexity respecting the path of 
duty. They know not, in some cases, what plan it would be best to 
pursue ; whether to settle - in this village or in that town ; to form an 
engagement with this person or with another ; to go, or stay, to con- 
sent or to refuse, to speak or to be silent. Though they consult the 
Holy Word for wisdom, they can gain no light upon their path ; though 
they consult pious friends, they can get no certain advice ; and though 
they pray to God, they seem to obtain no answer. What then are they 
to do ? Would the Lord direct them by a dream, how happy would 
they be ! but no such dreams as Joseph had, are vouchsafed to them. 

Is not the Lord, by their perplexities, teaching them patience ? Is 
he not teaching them to persevere in prayer, and to feel more deeply 
their own weakness and ignorance ? If they continue to look up to 
God, either some circumstance shall occur that shall show them the 
path of duty ; or God will send some messenger (though not an angel) 
to point it out ; or He himself will in some way or other make it clear 
to their minds. Or if he do not make it clear before the period of de- 
cision arrives, He will show them afterwards that their steps were 
ordered by Him. But no such guidance shall be granted to those who 
are not desirous to act uprightly. " The way of the wicked is as dark- 
ness ; they know not at what they stumble." Prov. iv. 19. This is 
the threatening ; but the promise is, " In all thy ways acknowledge 
him ; He shall direct thy paths." Prov. iii. 6. 

Joseph, as we have already observed, was commanded in a dream 
to return to his own land. The angel said, " They are dead which 
sought the young child's life." It seems, therefore, that some one be- 
side Herod sought to destroy Jesus ; for the angel said, " They are 
dead." Perhaps this other person was Herod's eldest son Antipater ; 
for he may have desired the destruction of the infant for the same rea- 
son as his father. This Antipater died a few months before' Herod, 
but not a natural death. His father had unjustly suspected him of 
plotting against his life, and had caused him to be executed. Soon 
afterwards the bloody tyrant himself died in the most horrible torments : 
his illness began about the time of the slaughter of the innocent babes ; 
in vain he travelled about his kingdom to obtain a cure ; no earthly 
hand could heal him ; his disease grew worse and worse, till he became 
intolerably offensive to all about him, and even to himself. He expired 
two years after the murder of the infants, eaten by worms. 

Thus God often inflicts judgments on those who persecute his peo- 
ple. Several persecutors have died in the manner that Herod did, and 
others have been cut off suddenly in God's wrath. In this sudden 
manner a wicked Roman Catholic bishop of England once perished. 
His name was Gardiner. He had sworn that he would not eat till he 
had heard that two pious Protestant bishops had been burnt for the 
truth's sake. He generally dined at twelve. The news did not reach 



62 CHRIST AMONG THE DOCTORS. [JAN. 26. 

him till four. He then sat down to dinner, and the first mouthful he 
took, he expired. Surely all men must have said, " This is the finger 
of God." True believers are dear to God as the apple of his eye, and 
those who dare to hurt or mock them, are abhorred by him. 

Joseph and Mary must have been rejoiced to leave Egypt, the land 
of idols ; for if David sighed after the services of the temple when 
absent from them, as the hart panteth after the water-brooks, surely 
these pious persons did so also. 

It appears that they intended to live near Jerusalem, probably in 
Bethlehem, which was only seven miles distant ; but when they ar- 
rived in Canaan, they heard that the Romans had appointed a cruel son 
of Herod's, called Archelaus, to be governor instead of his father; 
therefore they were afraid to remain near him. Joseph was then di- 
rected in a dream to go to Nazareth, where they had formerly lived. 
God chose that his Son should be brought up there, that he might be 
called a Nazarene. There is no prophet who has said these very words, 
but several have said that Jesus should be despised. The name Naz- 
arene was very disgraceful, because Nazareth was a very mean and 
wicked city. 

And did Jesus bear so despised a name ? Ought we to be proud, 
when our great Lord was so humble ? We are disposed to be ashamed 
of the meanness of our family, or circumstances, or education, and we 
are anxious to conceal such things from the world. This pride is very 
sinful, and comes to us from our first parents, who wished to be as 
gods. But Jesus has set his people an example of suffering contempt. 

Evening Scripture portion. Prov. III. Promise of direction. 



Luke II. 41 to end. — Christ among the doctors. 

We only hear one anecdote of our Saviour in his childhood. We 
should like to hear many particulars concerning him in early life, but 
the Holy Spirit has caused us to know the things the most necessary, 
and it is more necessary that we should know what Christ said and 
did when he was a minister than when he was a child. 

We find that his parents were accustomed to attend the passover at 
Jerusalem every year. The men were commanded, the women were 
permitted to attend this feast. At twelve years old it was the custom 
for boys to begin to accompany their parents, and at that age our Lord 
accompanied his parents. 

The feast of the Passover continued seven days, during which time 
unleavened bread was eaten. The parents of Jesus fulfilled the days 
of the feast, that is, they remained seven days in Jerusalem, and then 
began to return homewards. There was a large company of persons 



JAN. 26.] CHRIST AMONG THE DOCTORS. 63 

returning to Nazareth, distant about seventy-six miles from Jerusalem. 
The parents of Jesus at first supposed that the child was with some 
of their friends, till evening coming on, they sought him, and found 
him not. They returned with heavy hearts to Jerusalem, and found 
him in the temple. Altogether they had not seen him for three days ; 
they had gone one day's journey and returned during another day, and 
they saw him again on the third. 

What was Jesus doing in the temple ? He was sitting in the midst 
of the doctors. These doctors were men learned in the scriptures, 
who explained them to the people : but they were not in general pious 
men. Was Jesus teaching the doctors ? Far from it. He was lis- 
tening to them : for it was the custom for these doctors to instruct the 
young people, asking them questions, and answering their inquiries. 

But we naturally wonder why Jesus did not inform his parents of 
his intention to remain longer in Jerusalem. No doubt he knew that 
it was his heavenly Father's will that he should not tell them, for he 
would not have caused them any useless sorrow. Probably God wish- 
ed to remind Mary by this circumstance, that her Son was come into 
this world to do a great work, and that she must expect to find him 
continually engaged in it. All parents ought to be ready to give up 
their children for God's service, and to part with them to a distance, 
even as missionaries in a foreign land, if it be God's will. When the 
mother of the famous Wesley was asked, whether she was willing to 
part with her two sons, to go as missionaries to America, she answer- 
ed, " Had I ten sons, I should rejoice that they should be so em- 
ployed." 

Mary gently reproached her son with having caused her and Joseph 
so much anxiety, (verse 48.) Accustomed no doubt to the most affec- 
tionate behavior from him, she was surprised at any conduct that ap- 
peared unkind. 

Our Lord answered, " How is it that ye sought me ? Wist ye 
not, (or know ye not,) that I must be about my Father's business V 

This reply was full of the dignity that belonged to him, as the Son 
of God. In his obedience to his mother on other occasions, he set an 
example to all children, but in his conduct on this occasion, he acted 
as became the King of kings and Lord of lords. 

But what was the business which our Saviour said that his Father 
had given him to do ? 

We can discover what it was from other parts of the Scriptures ! 
What did he come down from heaven for ? Was it for his own plea- 
sure ? No, it was to do his Father's work. This work was the sal- 
vation of sinful man. In order to accomplish this salvation, he fulfilled 
the law that we have broken, and suffered the punishment due to us 
for breaking it. He began to fulfil the law, as soon as he came into 
this world. While yet a child of twelve years old, he was intent upon 
his great work. Therefore he said to his parents, " Wist ye not that 
I must be about my Father's business ?" 



64 JOHN PREACHES IN THE WILDERNESS. [jan. 27. 

Has God sent us on an} 7 business ? Yes ! He has appointed to 
each of us a work to perform. A glorious work it is ; — a work in 
which angels are always engaged, and of which they are never weary. 
It is not to accomplish our own salvation. That work Christ has done 
for all who believe in him. It is to promote the glory of God our 
Father. Yet who that looked around him and observed men's actions, 
would imagine that they had this work to do ? What are the things 
about which men seem most anxious ? Does not each seem to say, by 
his conduct, " How shall I please myself?" or " How shall I enrich 
myself?' 1 or "How shall I gain credit to myself?" How few behave 
as if their chief desire was to please God ! Yet is it not very sinful 
to be careless about pleasing him, who sent his Son to die for us ? 
When that excellent minister, Dr. Payson, was on his dying bed, he 
said, " Oh how often have I begun the day thinking, ' How shall 1 
please myself?' instead of ' How shall I please God ?' " 

Yet Payson had led a very holy life, and God had converted many 
sinners by him ; but when a saint is dying he often sees his actions in 
a light in which he never saw them before. O that every one of us, 
now that life is before us, may seek to do our Father's business ; for 
we know not how soon we may be called to render an account of the 
use we have made of our time upon earth. 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Cor. V. Serving the Lord. 



Matt. III. 1-6. — John preaches in the wilderness. 

We hear nothing of John the Baptist during his youth, excepting 
that he was pious, and lived much in the deserts. When he was 
twenty-seven or thirty years of age he began to preach. He did not, 
however, go to the cities, but remained in the wilderness. 

We may wonder how he found a congregation there. Probably his 
singular habits and his holy life had caused him to be much spoken of. 
He was clothed in a manner unlike persons of his station ; for he wore 
a sort of cloth made of coarse camel's hair, and a leathern girdle ; and 
he ate locusts, little animals, about an inch long, which, being nourished 
by leaves, are fit to eat ; he fed also on honey, which is abundant in 
the woods and among the rocks of Judea. Men went into the wilder- 
ness to see him, and these bringing back a wonderful report of him, 
induced others to come, till at length crowds were collected to hear his 
sermons. God can easily draw people to hear his faithful ministers, if 
he will. No doubt John was rejoiced to behold such multitudes of 
persons, for he longed to point them all to the only Saviour. 

What was the subject of his first sermons ? Repentance ! What 
is repentance ? Is it change of conduct only ? No ; people who have 



JAN. 27.] JOHN PREACHES IN THE WILDERNESS. 65 

never repented, sometimes reform their lives. A person may see it to 
be his interest to lead a better life, and for that reason he may amend. 
Is it sorrow for sin? Sorrow is part of repentance, but there is a sor- 
row that is not repentance ; sorrow for the consequences of sin is not 
repentance. Saul, the king of Israel, was sorry when he heard he had 
lost his kingdom by disobedience, but he was not sorry for his sin, 
only for his punishment. True repentance is a change of mind and 
heart. A man who really repents, feels grieved because he has offend- 
ed God, and he longs to serve God better in time to come. 

Can a person change his own heart ? It is impossible ; therefore 
we know that repentance must be the gift of God. Yet John told the 
people to repent, because he knew that God was willing to bestow 
repentance. 

The chief object of John's ministry was to announce the coming of 
the Lord. This he did when he said, " The kingdom of heaven is at 
hand." No doubt he explained to the people the meaning of this de- 
claration. We may understand its meaning by comparing it with other 
parts of Scripture. When Satan tempted our first parents to eat the 
forbidden fruit, he set up his own kingdom upon the earth ; he became 
the god of this world. But God sent his son to dethrone Satan, and 
establish his own kingdom. As soon as a sinner believes in Christ, he 
passes into the kingdom of heaven, or of Christ. St. Paul, in his epistle 
to the Colossians, speaking of the Father, says, " Who hath delivered 
us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom 
of his dear Son." — Col. i. 13. 

John the Baptist was like a herald who proclaims the approach of a 
glorious monarch, or like a pioneer who prepares his way through a 
desert. He knew that unless men repented of their sins, they would 
not receive the Saviour with gladness. He did not preach in vain. 
Many felt convinced of their sins, and anxious to be cleansed from 
their guilt and pollution ; then they were baptized in Jordan, confessing 
their sins. 

But could the waters of Jordan cleanse their souls ? The waters 
of all the rivers in the world could not wash out one spot from the soul. 
Why then were they baptized ? It had long been the custom for the 
Jews to baptize heathens who had forsaken idols for the worship of the 
true God. But John baptized the Jews, as a testimony that they also 
needed purification. At length he pointed to Jesus and cried, " Behold 
the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world." It is 
the blood of that Lamb which cleanses from sin, and that blood alone. 
The saints in heaven are now clothed in pure and spotless garments. 
But was it baptism that made them white ? Hear what the Scripture 
saith, " These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have 
washed their robes and made them white in the blood of, the Lamb? 
— Rev. vii. 14. 

Evening Scripture portion. Isaiah XL. 1-17. Prophecy concerning John. 

9 



66 JOHN WARNS THE PHARISEES. [JAN. 28. 



Matt. III. 7-12. — John warns the Pharisees and Sadducees. 

Among the people who came to hear John preach in the wilder- 
ness, were many of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Curiosity 
drew them to hear that famous preacher. It will be well to stop a 
moment to inquire into the character of these men. They were called 
Pharisees and Sadducees, not because they belonged to foreign nations, 
(as we call some persons French and some English,) but because they 
had particular opinions on religious subjects ; they belonged to two 
sects among the Jews. 

The Pharisees professed to observe all God's laws concerning sac- 
rifices, tithes, and ceremonies, and also many other laws which men 
had made ; and they thought that by doing these things they should 
be worthy of places in heaven. At the same time they did not love 
God, but loved money and the praise of men. Such was the character 
of the Pharisees. 

Are there any Pharisees in these days ? There are none of us who 
do exactly the same things as the Pharisees did, but there are many 
who have the same kind of righteousness ; they wish to be religious, 
or at least to appear religious, and therefore they read the Bible, go to 
church, take the sacrament ; and they think they are the better for 
these services, while their hearts are still full of the love of pleasure, 
or of money, or of praise. There is only one way of salvation — it is 
by believing in Jesus Christ; when we believe in him, our sins are 
forgiven on account of his sufferings, and our hearts are made holy by 
his Spirit. Are there any of us who are endeavoring to deceive God 
by a little outward service ? Let us give up the vain attempt — God 
will not be mocked ; unless we really wish to forsake all our sins, we 
are hypocrites, like the Pharisees. 

But who were the Sadducees ? They were unbelieving men, proud 
of their understandings, and who thought themselves much wiser than 
common people. They said that there were no angels nor spirits, and 
no rising again of the dead ; and they sneered at those people who 
believed all the wonderful things written in the Bible. They only 
professed to believe the first five books of the Bible, called the books 
of Moses. Are there any Sadducees now ? Alas ! there are too many 
who resemble them. Such persons are called infidels, or deists. They 
have written many wicked books for the purpose of turning the Bible 
into ridicule. Their writings are poison to the mind, and they have 
destroyed many souls. There are numerous proofs that the Bible is 
the Word of God. To mention only one or two ; behold the desola- 
tion of Jerusalem and the scattering of the Jews according to God's 
prophecy. 

When these self-righteous Pharisees and scoffing Sadducees came 
to hear John preach, was he afraid of them, because they were rich 
and learned ? Did he preach elegant sermons to please them ? No ; 



JAN. 29.] JOHN INSTRUCTS VARIOUS CLASSES, ETC. 67 

he spoke plainly and faithfully to them. He said, " generation of 
vipers ;" he called them the seed of the serpent, or the children of the 
devil ; he said, " Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to 
come ?" he knew that because they were rich and learned, few would 
dare to warn them of the wrath to come ; therefore out of love to their 
souls, he warned them. He did not tell them there was no hope for 
them, but he told them there was no time to lose. He knew that when 
he called them children of the devil, they would answer in their hearts, 
" We are the children of the pious Abraham, not of the devil ; we have 
Abraham to our father." When ministers are preaching, people are 
very apt to be making some excuse in their hearts. John told the 
Pharisees that they would not be saved because they were the children 
of Abraham according to the flesh, for God could make the stones into 
Abraham's children ; and God soon did make the Gentiles, whom the 
Jews despised as though they had been stones, into the children of 
Abraham in the spirit. Then John told them of their awful condition, 
while they were bringing forth bad fruit, or doing evil works. The 
axe, as it were, was laid ready to hew them down. Could we see 
death and judgment as near as they really are, we should tremble at 
the thought of continuing in sin. 

St. Luke tells us in his gospel, (iii. 15,) that many people began to 
think that John was, perhaps, the Saviour so long expected — that is, 
the Christ, or the anointed one. Did. John wish them to think this? 
No; he wished no glory for himself; he said that his baptism was 
nothing compared to that which Jesus would bestow. John could 
wash the body with water as a sign of repentance, but Jesus could 
wash the soul with the Holy Ghost ; he could even cleanse it, as by 
fire. There is nothing cleanses like fire ; water can not cleanse gold 
from its dross, but fire can. The Spirit of Christ can consume our 
sins, as fire consumes dross. 

Then John showed the terrible consequences of not believing in this 
Saviour. He compared Jesus (v. 12) to a thrasher, who separates 
the wheat from the chaff. We are accustomed to hear of the meek 
and gentle Saviour, and so he is, for he wipes away the tear of the 
penitent, and binds up the wound of the broken-hearted ; but he is 
also the holy Jesus ; he cannot bear proud sinners, and at the last day 
his wrath against them will be so terrible, that they will call upon the 
rocks and mountains to hide them from the wrath of the Lamb. 
(Rev. vi.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Phil. III. The righteousness of Christ. 



Luke III. 10-14. — John instructs various classes in their duties. 

We have seen that John the Baptist was a very faithful preacher; 
one who spoke to the rich as well as to the poor of their sins ; but we 



68 JOHN INSTRUCTS VARIOUS CLASSES [jan. 29. 

do not hear that the Pharisees and Sadducees took warning from his 
sermons ; yet there were some persons who did. The people (that 
is, the common people, as they are called) said, "What shall we do, 
then ?" What did they mean by this question'? Did they mean, 
"What shall we do to be saved V No, that was not the question. 
We read, in the Acts, of a penitent jailer who said to the apostle Paul 
and his friend Silas, " Sirs, what must I do to be saved!" And they 
replied, " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." 
(Acts xvi. 31.) No doubt John would have answered the people in 
the same manner, if they had asked him the same question ; he would 
have said, " Believe in him who cometh after me." 

But the people did not ask this question. John had just been ex- 
horting them to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance, and had been 
telling them that every tree that brought forth bad fruit was cast into 
the fire. By fruit, you well know that he meant good works. John 
wanted the people to show by their conduct that their repentance was 
sincere. It must have gladdened his heart, when, after his sermons, 
they came to inquire what good works they ought to do. It is a good 
sign when people ask questions about their duties. 

John, by his answer, shows us what was the chief sm of the people. 
He said, " He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath 
none, and he that hath meat let him do likewise." The chief sin of 
the people was covetousness. These people were not all of them rich. 
Covetousness was the sin of the poor, as well as of the rich. As we 
read in Jer. viii. 10, " Every one, from the least, even unto the great' 
est, is given to covetousness." 

Is this sin still very common ? It is. People's hearts are still 
wrapped up in their property — their money, their clothes, their houses, 
their furniture, or their lands, whether they have little or much. Peo- 
ple are so fond of their property that they are loath to part with any 
of it. But the word of God tells us that we should be ready to give — ■ 
that we should even labor that we may have something to give. 
(Eph. iv. 28 ; Acts xx. 34, 35.) 

Perhaps it will be asked, " Is it wrong to have two sets of clothes ?" 
No ; the expression " two coats," need not be taken literally. What 
then does it signify ? That those who have more than enough for 
themselves, ought to give to those who have less than enough. The 
Scriptures do not forbid our saving against old age or sickness ; but 
they command us to give to those who are in need. God will never 
suffer any one to languish in distress through following this command ; 
he will raise up friends for them in the time of need. " Blessed is the 
man that considereth the poor." (Ps. xli. 1.) Cast thy bread upon 
the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days. (Eccles. xi. 1.) 

There was a poor servant who gave all her money to her destitute 
parents , she was overtaken by sickness early in life ; she became 
unfit for service, and had no means of support ; but God put it into 
the heart of the Rev. Thomas Scott (who wrote the Commentary on 



JAN. 29.] IN THEIR DUTIES. 69 

the Bible) to take her into his house, and, though not rich himself, 
with the aid of some of his friends, he gladly supported her all her 
days, thinking it a blessing to have so pious a person in his family. 
Where could she have passed her life in greater peace than beneath 
the roof of a faithful minister ? 

If people spend their money, when young, in pleasures, in fine dress, 
or in useless things, there is no promise for them to depend upon ; but 
if they delight in giving for God's sake to the poor, they shall never be 
forsaken. 

The publicans also asked John what they must do. These publi- 
cans were not like the publicans of these day's ; they did not keep 
public-houses ; they collected the public taxes for the Romans. Their 
chief sin was dishonesty. They made people pay more taxes than the 
government required, and by their impositions they enriched them- 
selves. In most trades and employments there is some temptation to 
dishonesty, and many people think that they may do whatever it. is the 
custom to do. Let each of us inquire, " Is there any thing I do in my 
station, that I wish to conceal from my master or my customer?" 
That practice is dishonest, however common it may be. If you really 
repent, you will leave it off, though others should call you over strict 
and precise, and even try to injure you, because your conduct is a 
reproach to them. 

Some soldiers next inquired what -they must do. Does it surprise 
us to find that even soldiers had been moved by John's preaching ? 
War is a terrible calamity. Were all men true Christians, there would 
be no war ; yet John did not tell the soldiers to leave off being soldiers, 
for the guilt of unjust wars lies rather upon those who begin and con- 
tinue them, even kings and rulers, than upon the men who are hired 
to fight. John warned the soldiers against the sins most common in 
their profession. One of these was violence ; the soldiers were apt to 
take things away by force ; therefore John said, " Do violence to no 
man." They were also accustomed to accuse others falsely before 
the judges, perhaps for the sake of bribes ; therefore he said, "Nor 
accuse any man falsely." They were also disposed to be discontented 
with their pay ; therefore he said, " Be content with your wages." 

Should we like to inquire of John the Baptist what we ought to do ? 
He would not give us all the same answer ; he would point out differ- 
ent duties to us according to our station, as servants or masters, parents 
or children ; or according to our trade or profession. But need we 
wish that John the Baptist were risen from the dead, that he might in- 
struct us 1 Let us look into the epistles of Paul and Peter, and we 
shall find directions to servants and masters, to parents and children. 
Servants are desired to be meek, honest, and submissive ; masters to 
be just and kind ; children to be obedient and respectful. Parents are 
commanded to bring up their children piously, and not to provoke 
them to wrath. Young men are instructed to be sober-minded ; young 
women to be keepers at home. Older men and women are warned 



70 THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST. [ J AN. 30. 

against the love of wine. (See the epistles to Titus, and to the Colos- 
sians, and the first epistle of Peter.) Thus we are all set on our guard 
against the temptations of our age and station. 

No doubt if people had come separately to John, he would have 
given still more particular directions. Each of us has some particular 
sin into which he is very apt to fall ; one is most disposed to anger, 
another to vanity, another to envy, another to idleness, and another to 
intemperance. 

We shall never deserve heaven by leaving off our sins ; it is Christ 
who has purchased heaven by his blood to bestow it on those who be- 
lieve in his name. But if we do really believe we shall bring forth 
good fruit, and forsake our sins. It is God only that can change our 
hearts ; but we must not wait till we feel right, feelings, before we 
begin to act right. We must avoid every thing that we know to be 
wrong, and entreat God to overcome the evil feelings of our hearts, 
(which we cannot subdue,) and to enable us to do that which is pleas- 
ing in his sight. 

Evening Scripture portion. Titus II. Relative duties. 



Matt. III. 13, to the end. — The baptism of Christ. 

One of the most wonderful events ever transacted on this earth is 
recorded in this passage. 

We behold the Son of God in great humility coming to be baptized 
of John, as though he had been a sinner ; and we behold the Everlast- 
ing Father and the Spirit, honoring him with unspeakable honor. 
Well might John be surprised to see the Son of God apply to him for 
baptism ! He objected to baptizing one so much greater than him- 
self, saying, " I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to 
me ?" It appears, therefore, that John knew who he was ; yet we 
read in St. John's gospel (i. 33) that he knew him not ; God therefore 
must have made John know him at the time of the baptism. It may 
appear strange that John should not have known him, as Elizabeth, 
his mother, was the cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus ; but then we 
must remember that they had been brought up in distant parts of the 
land. God had wise reasons for not permitting them to be known to 
each other till this time. If John had known Jesus before as a rela- 
tion, it might then have been supposed that he had been deceived by 
him ; but now that he had never seen him, no deception could be 
suspected. 

How full of reverence and humility were John's words — " I have 
need to be baptized of thee," — baptized, not with water, (for Jesus 
baptized none in this manner,) but with the Holy Ghost and with fire, 



JAN. 30.] THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST. 71 

The angel had declared that John should be filled with the Holy Ghost, 
even before his birth ; still John felt his need of the Saviour's baptism. 
Does not this teach us that we all need this baptism continually ? 
Though we have been baptized with water, though we have even un- 
dergone a change of heart, yet still we need fresh supplies of the Holy 
Spirit. If we feel our need, we shall come often to Jesus, that he 
may baptize us. Blessed Jesus, we have need to be baptized of 
thee ! 

What was the Saviour's reason for coming to be baptized ? He 
condescends to explain it — " Thus, it becometh us to fulfil all right- 
eousness." It was God's will that all men should be baptized, and 
therefore it was necessary that Jesus, when he was a man, should 
be baptized, for he came to do all God's commands, that by his 
obedience many might be made righteous. Whom did our Sa- 
viour mean by us, when he said, " It becometh us to fulfil all right- 
eousness ?" Himself and John. It was necessary that John should 
do the will of God, and baptize him whose shoes he was not worthy 
to bear. True Christians feel their unworthiness to do any thing for 
their Master, but this feeling ought not to hinder them from doing 
God's work ; for they would not be Jit to do it, unless they felt their 
exceeding sinfulness. 

Immediately after the baptism, the Saviour came out of the water. 
We find in St. Luke's gospel, what he was doing as he came out ; he 
was praying. When sinners were baptized, they confessed their sins ; 
but he had no sins to confess. 

After he had humbled himself by being baptized, his Father exalted 
him by sending the Holy Spirit down upon him, and by declaring, 
" This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 

What must John the Baptist have felt when he beheld this scene ! 
Here were no terrors like those on Mount Sinai ; here were no thun- 
ders nor lightnings ; no blackness, and darkness, and tempest ; all was 
light, and peace, and love. It is wonderful to think, that a mortal man 
should have been permitted to witness such a display of the divine 
glory. But as John was appointed to direct men to the Saviour, it 
was right that he should receive the strongest proof of his being the 
Son of God. And could he have received stronger proof than he did 
receive on the banks of Jordan ? Impossible. 

What exceeding love is expressed in the words, " This is my be- 
loved Son, in whom I am well pleased !" This declaration must have 
comforted the heart of the man of sorrows ; though the world hated 
him, he knew the Father loved him. Would it comfort us to think the 
Father loved us, and was well pleased with us ? If we believe in Je- 
sus he does love us, and is well pleased with us for his sake. All be- 
lievers are " accepted in the beloved !" What sweet words are those ! 
They have sustained the children of God in a dying hour. How could 
any man bear the thought of entering God's presence, were it not for 



72 THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST. [jaN. 31 

the assurance that the Father will receive him in the name of his own 
beloved Son ! 

Evening Scripture portion. Eph. I. " Accepted in the beloved" 



Matt. IV. 1-7. — The temptation of Christ. 

We have read of the great honor that Christ received at his baptism. 
Immediately afterwards, he was exposed to terrible sufferings and 
temptations. It is God's method often to prepare his people for great 
sufferings, by granting them great consolations beforehand. Jesus was 
" led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." 
He fasted forty days and forty nights. He was alone amidst the wild 
beasts of the desert ; as it is written in Mark i. 13, " he was with the 
wild beasts." This wilderness was probably the same as that through 
which Moses led the Israelites. We are told in Deut. viii. 15, what 
kind of a place it was ; a place " wherein were fiery serpents, scorpions, 
and drought, where there was no water." The prophet Jeremiah calls 
" it a land of deserts and pits ; of the shadow of death, that no man 
passed through, and where no man dwelt," (ii. 6.) But what was 
more terrible than all, when Jesus was there, Satan came to assail him 
with temptations. He had just heard the Father's voice ; he had just 
been anointed by the Holy Spirit ! Behold him now in this horrible 
place, with his more horrible enemy, Satan. 

Now observe, that it is said that he was led up of the Sjjirit. It 
was his Father's will that he should meet Satan as an enemy in battle. 
He had come into the world to destroy his works, and to bruise this 
serpent's head, according to God's threatening to Satan in paradise. 
" The seed of the woman shall bruise thy head." Satan probably 
hoped to overcome Jesus, as he had overcome Adam and Eve ; but 
though he could not overcome him, he did give him pain ; for it is 
written, concerning Christ, " He suffered being tempted," (Heb. ii. 18.) 
It will be very interesting for us to consider his temptations, especially 
as Satan still offers the same temptations to Christ's people that he 
once offered to Christ himself. These temptations will show us how 
he tries to draw away those who have escaped from his chains. The 
world in general are led captive by him according to his will ; he finds 
it easy to keep them in his power ; but O ! what pains he takes to re- 
gain his sway over those who have left his service ! Let us consider 
the first temptation that he offered to our Saviour. He said, " If thou 
be the Son of God, command these stones that they be made bread." 
Observe the time at which he made the proposal ; when Jesus was an 
hungered. Why did Jesus refuse to turn the stones into bread ? Be- 



JAN. 31.] THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST. 73 

cause his Father had engaged to provide him with bread ; therefore he 
needed not to use his divine power in supplying his own wants. 

Satan often attacks the people of God in times of deep affliction. 
When they are sorely diseased, or when their children are dying, or 
when they know not how to provide them with food, or when they are 
disappointed or unkindly treated ; then the malicious fiend insinuates 
hard thoughts of God into the mind. He would fain make them be- 
lieve that God has forgotten them, that their troubles will never end, 
that there is no way of escape, and that they must try to help them- 
selves, even by some wrong means. If there seem a way of helping 
themselves by doing something not quite upright, not quite open, or 
honest, not quite according to the commands of God, Satan recom- 
mends them to take that away, assuring them, that if they are too con- 
scientious, they will never get out of their difficulties. But how did 
our Saviour overcome this temptation ? He referred to the word of 
God, and answered from Deut. viii., " Man shall not live by bread 
alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." 
What is the meaning of this passage ? It declares that the word of 
God is more than bread ; bread cannot keep us alive, when God 
chooses that we shall die ; but God can keep us alive without bread, 
when He chooses that we shall live. We know also that God can 
make us happy in the greatest affliction ; but nothing can make us 
happy, if God wills that we shall be unhappy. Have we not seen 
persons miserable in the midst of abundance, and happy in the midst 
of pains and losses ? Let us never listen to Satau's wicked counsel, 
when he would induce us to sin that we may escape from suffering. 
He is deceiving us. When the sin is committed, we shall find our- 
selves in a far worse case than we were before. 

The second temptation was exactly the opposite of the first. Satan 
took Christ to the pinnacle, or high tower of the temple in the holy 
city of Jerusalem. He there tried to deceive him by quoting Scrip- 
ture ; he referred to a passage in Ps. xci., " He shall give his angels 
charge concerning thee ;" but he left out the words, " To keep thee in 
all thy ways." Yet these are very important, and ought not to be left 
out. God will command his angels to guard the Christian from harm 
in all his ways, that is, in all the ways in which he ought to walk. 
Had Jesus cast himself down from the temple, he would not have been 
walking in God's ways, but in Satan's ways. 

This is the manner in which Satan tries to deceive the Christian, 
when he sees him full of confidence in God. He then tempts him to 
presumption : he would persuade him that he need not watch and pray, 
but that he may go into worldly scenes, and receive no harm. He 
says to him, " Has not God promised to keep you from falling, and to 
preserve you to his heavenly kingdom ? Has he not said, ' I will nev- 
er leave thee nor forsake thee ?' " Thus he perverts the word of God. 
This is a very dangerous moment for the Christian. Let him then re- 
member what his Lord replied to Satan ; these words from Deuteron- 

10 



74 THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST. [FEB. 1 

omy, " Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." We tempt God to 
forsake us, when we thus presume upon his promises. The apostle 
says, in 1 Cor. x., " Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest 
he fall." We have heard of Peter's sin : he ventured to follow Jesus 
into the palace of the High Priest, and to warm himself among the 
ungodly servants, thinking that he could never deny his Master ; thus 
he tempted the Lord, and he did deny him. 

What dangers there are on the right hand and on the left ! One 
moment we sink into distrust ; the next, soar into presumption. Let 
us watch and pray, that we enter not into temptation. 

Evening Scripture portion. Deut. VIII. The wilderness. 



Matt. IV. 8-11. — The same continued. 

Though Jesus had resisted tioo temptations, Satan was not dismay- 
ed. Here we have an instance of the perseverance of our great enemy. 
Though he may have failed in one attempt to injure us, he will make 
another, and sometimes he succeeds better the second time than he did 
the first. Balaam resisted ihe first temptation, and refused to go with 
Balak's messengers ; but he was tempted a second time, and then he 
yielded. The man of God from Judah refused the invitation of Jero- 
boam, but was enticed by the solicitation of the old prophet. Satan 
was not discouraged when Job was patient under his first trials : he 
asked God to permit him to assault him again ; but that second time 
he still failed to tempt Job to curse his God. We ought to learn, from 
these facts, to be very watchful after we have overcome one temptation, 
and to be ready for another attack. 

There is one circumstance in the third temptation which may sur- 
prise us. Satan proposed a more glaring sin to our Lord than he had 
proposed before ; for it is a much more glaring sin to fall down and 
worship Satan than to turn stones into bread, or to run unnecessarily 
into danger. How could Satan suppose that when Jesus had refused 
to commit those sins, he would consent to so flagrant a transgression 
as worshipping the devil? Perhaps he saw that it was vain to try to 
deceive our Saviour ; therefore he declared his purpose, and hoped to 
persuade by the greatness of the bribe. He had not offered him such 
a reward before, as the kingdoms of the world : he had ruined the first 
Adam by promising him a reward for disobedience, and he hoped to 
ruin the second Adam by the same means. 

What is that glory of the kingdoms of the world which Satan dis- 
played before our Lord ? 

It may be divided into three principal points — pleasure, profit, and 
praise : these tempt men to forsake God's service. It is not true that 



FEB. 1.] THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST. 75 

Satan can give them to whom he will. When Satan offered them to 
Christ, he offered what it was not in his power to bestow. In saying 
that he could bestow them, he acted in his own character of a liar and 
the father of lies. It is, however, true, that God often permits the 
servants of Satan to enjoy the vain delights of this world : thus we 
read in the Psalms, that the wicked are often in prosperity. 

How did Jesus overcome the last temptation ? By the word of 
God, which is the sword of the Spirit. He spoke openly to Satan, 
and declared that God had commanded that men should worship him 
alone. He did not dispute with the tempter, or tell him that the world 
was not his to bestow, or that it was a perishing portion, but he simply 
appealed to the command of God. Thus we are taught how to meet 
Satan's temptations. We ought not to stand questioning ; but we 
should remember the command of God, and not take any step in life, 
or follow any course which will lead us into sin. How many warn- 
ings are there in the Scriptures against the love of the world, its pleas- 
ures, its profit, and its praise. This is what the Scripture says of 
worldly pleasure, (1 Tim. v. 6,) " She that liveth in pleasure, is dead 
while she liveth." One of our most faithful female missionaries, Mrs. 
Judson, was first aroused when a vain and worldly girl, by reading this 
sentence. Afterwards she went to the East, and suffered great perse- 
cution for the truth's sake, and now she is with God, drinking rivers 
of pleasure at his right hand. . And what does the Scripture say 
against the love of profit, or of money ? 1 Tim. vi. 10. " Which, 
(that is, money,) while some have coveted after, they have erred from 
the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." Now 
hear what is said of those who seek human praise. We read in John 
xii. 42, 43, of some who believed in Christ, and yet would not confess 
him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue ; " for they loved 
the praise of men more than the praise of God." 

Satan will offer these things to our acceptance, (not all of them, but 
little portions of them,) upon condition that we worship him, that is, 
do his will in some respect ; for he cares not for knee- worship ; he 
knows that we are really the servants of him whom we obey, and not 
of him whom we call Master. May the Lord give us grace to resist, 
through our Captain, who has overcome, and is set down upon his 
throne. 

How soon the blessed Saviour found obedience to be sweet ! The 
angels came, and fed him. Thus God will more than make up to us, 
even in this life, all we give up for his sake. When he has filled our 
hearts with the peace which passeth all understanding, we shall not re- 
gret the loss of any earthly thing ! 

Evening Scripture portion. Gen. III. The fall of man. 



76 THE RECORD OF JOHN CONCERNING CHRIST. [FEB. 2 



John I. 19-34. — The record of John concerning Christ in Beth* 

abara. 

During the time of the Lord's temptation, John was preaching in 
the wilderness. Many supposed he was the promised Saviour ; for 
though he did no miracle, (John x. 41,) he was evidently a very won- 
derful prophet. There were in Jerusalem seventy chief men, who 
met together to consult about public matters, and who were ealled the 
council, or the Sanhedrim. These Jews were proud and unbelieving. 
They sent a company of priests and Levit.es to ask John who he was, 
probably supposing that he would readily answer persons who filled 
holy offices, especially as he himself was a priest. But he did not 
wish men to honor him, and he plainly told these priests he was not 
the Christ. Then they wanted to know whether he was Elias or 
Elijah ; for Malachi the prophet had declared that Elijah should come 
before Christ came, (iv. 5, 6.) But though John had come in the 
spirit and power of Elijah, he was not Elijah himself. The priests 
then asked him whether he was that prophet. What prophet did they 
mean ? They meant to ask whether John was any one of the old 
prophets risen from the dead. He declared that he was not, and then 
told them who he was : A voice crying in the wilderness. But these 
priests were not satisfied with the answer : they wanted to know why 
he baptized, as if he were some great person, and had great author- 
ity. As they were of the sect of the Pharisees — those formal self- 
righteous persons — they must have been much offended with John for 
having once called them a generation of vipers. John took this occa- 
sion to praise the Lord Jesus, and to speak of his greatness. He even 
told them that he stood among them, though they knew him not. 

The next day John was able to point out the unknown Saviour to 
the people who surrounded him ; but we are not told whether these 
priests were still near or not. How remarkable is the name by which 
he called his Lord ! " The Lamb of God." Why did he give him 
this name ? Was it because he was meek and gentle ? Not chiefly 
for that reason ; but because he was to be sacrificed for the sins of 
men. A lamb was offered up at the temple every morning and even- 
ing ; its blood could not lake away sin ; but there was a Lamb whose 
blood could take away the sins of the world! Consider how immense 
the sum of the sins of the world must be ! The sins that one of us 
commits in one day are very numerous. If all our proud thoughts 
could be known, and all our rebellious feelings against God could be 
exposed, how vast would be the amount ! But consider what millions 
of millions of men have lived on this earth ; what treachery, whal 
blasphemy, what murders, what idolatry, have defiled it in every place, 
at every moment. Yet all these multiplied crimes Jesus can take 
away ; so great is the power of his blood. O that all the world would 






FEB. 3.] ANDREW LEADS SIMON TO CHRIST. 77 

come to the Lamb of God* that they might all be cleansed from their 
innumerable transgressions. 

Evening Scripture portion. Numb. XXVIII. 1-25. The daily burnt-offerings. 



John I. 35-42. — Andrew leads Simon to Christ. 

It was with great delight that John the Baptist pointed sinners to 
the Saviour. He had no greater joy than to, see men leave him to fol- 
low Christ. On one occasion he saw the Lord, probably at some dis- 
lance from the place where he stood, and he pointed him out to two of 
his disciples ; for John had disciples, or persons who followed him to 
learn his doctrine. He was more pleased that they should follow the 
great Master, than that they should stay with him. Behold in John 
the spirit of true religion ! The faithful minister does not wish to be 
admired himself, but tries to persuade all to admire Christ. 

Who were these two disciples ? One of them was called Andrew : 
but we are not informed of the name of the other. Perhaps the other 
was that John who was afterwards called the disciple whom Jesus 
loved. One reason for thinking so is, that he wrote this account, and 
it is usual with him not to mention his own name, when he refers to 
himself. 

It signifies little, however, to us, what were the names of these dis- 
ciples. Let us imitate their blessed examples. See them following 
Jesus. At first his back was towards them ; but he knew well they 
were following him, and soon gave them kind encouragement. He 
said, " What seek ye ?" They replied, " Master, where dwellest 
thou ?" It was not from curiosity they desired to see his abode, but 
that they might know him and converse w 7 ith him. How sweet were 
the hours which they spent with their Saviour in his lowly dwelling, 
his cottage in the wilderness ! 

Would he welcome us, as he did those disciples ? Yes ; he says to 
us, as he did to them, " Come and see." Are we willing to go ? Do 
we desire to know him, and to taste his grace ? He will meet us in 
secret prayer, and make himself known to our hearts. But does he 
ever find us in prayer ? or are we so taken up with the world, that we 
have no time to seek the Lord ? 

Let us observe the conduct of one of these disciples after he had 
found the Saviour. " He first findeth his own brother Simon." How 
anxious he was to bring his dear brother to the knowledge of his pre- 
cious friend ! He tells him what a treasure he himself has found, and 
invites his brother to share it. Are we acting thus? Are we trying 
to persuade our kindred and our friends to come to Christ ? What 
pains some have taken to bring brothers or sisters to Christ ! they 
have sent them letter after letter — they have visited them in sickness ; 



78 PHILIP LEADS NATHANAEL TO CHRIST. [FEB. 4 

have persuaded them to hear faithful ministers— have prayed without 
ceasing to bless their efforts. David Nasmith, the founder of town- 
missions, sent a letter every week to his ungodly brother, till at length 
he brought him to Christ. 

As soon as Simon approached the Saviour, he received encourage- 
ment. Jesus gave him a new name, to describe the new character he 
should bear. He called him Cephas, or Peter, which the one in He- 
brew, and the other Greek, signifies " a stone." 

And why was Simon to be called " a stone V 

The Lord intended to build a great temple of living stones, that is, 
of believers, and he chose Simon to be one of the foundation-stones. 
He purposed to make him a great preacher, so that many should be- 
lieve through his word, and thus be built upon him ; therefore he com- 
pared him to a " stone." 

The scriptures declare that the saints " are built upon the founda- 
tion of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief 
corner-stone ; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth 
unto a holy temple in the Lord." — Eph. ii. 20, 21. 

Jesus knows each of us as well as he knew Simon. He knows 
whether we are living stones in this glorious temple, or whether we 
are like the rubbish lying round the building, to be swept away when 
it is finished. 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. LV. Invitation to come to Christ. 



John I. 43 to end. — Philip leads Nathanael to Christ. 

It is very interesting to know how holy men were brought to the 
knowledge of Christ. In this passage we have an account of the 
means by which Philip and Nathanael were first led to their Saviour. 
Jesus himself found Philip, and said, " Follow me." Have we heard 
the voice of Jesus thus speaking to our hearts ? He does thus call to 
us from heaven. May we have grace to reply, " Lord, I will follow 
thee." When David heard the Lord say, " Seek ye my face," he re- 
plied, " Thy face, Lord, will I seek." (Ps. xxvii.) 

Philip acted as Andrew had done before ; he endeavored to persuade 
his friend to come to Jesus. He behaved openly and frankly to Na- 
thanael ; he did not conceal from him that the Lord he had found was 
called Jesus of Nazareth. Nathanael was prejudiced against Nazareth 
because of the bad character of its inhabitants, and naturally exclaimed, 
" Can any good thing come out of Nazareth ?" Philip did not stop to 
argue with him, but said, " Come and see." He was full of hope that 
the same word which had such power with him would convince Na- 
thanael also. Philip sets us an example how to behave to our rela- 



FEB. 4.] PHILIP LEADS NATHANAEL TO CHRIST. 79 

tions and friends. It is better to say, " Come and see," than to argue 
much with them. Let us try and persuade them to read the Bible 
which has taught us. to pray to that God who has had mercy on us. 
If we can only induce them " to come and see," to apply to the Lord 
themselves, we may feel sure that, they will be brought to the know- 
ledge of the true Saviour. 

With what great kindness did the Lord treat Nathanael ! He knew 
that he had doubts, and he removed them. He did this in a very re- 
markable way. When he saw him coming he described his character. 
" Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile or deceit." By 
saying this, he showed Nathanael he was acquainted with his secret 
thoughts. He declared that Nathanael was a sincere man : this was 
great praise. Jesus had seen many hypocrites, but he had seen few 
sincere persons. It is very uncommon to be sincere. Most persons 
think they are sincere. They will say, " Though I do not pretend to 
be religious, yet I am not a hypocrite — I am sincere." But these 
people deceive themselves. Let us consider what it is to be sincere. 
It is to be really anxious to find out our sins, and to forsake them. 
The sincere man says, with David, " Search me, O God, and know 
my heart : try me, and know my thoughts, and see if there be any 
wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Ps. cxxxix. 
23, 24. The sincere man desires that every evil thought may be taken 
away ; he longs to have his heart cleansed ; therefore he is often in 
prayer to God, confessing his sins. As soon as he suspects that any 
of his practices are wrong, he inquires whether they really are sinful ; 
and if he finds they are contrary to God's word, he forsakes them, 
however much he may lose by giving them up. Is this a common 
character ? Is this our character 1 Do we thus walk with God ? 
Does Jesus say of you or me, " Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom 
there is no guile ?" 

Nathanael was surprised to find that Jesus knew him, but he was 
more astonished still when he discovered that he had seen him under 
the fig-tree. No doubt he had been confessing his sins' beneath the 
shade of a thick fig-tree, where no human eye could see him. God 
had answered his prayers, by leading him to the Saviour. Nathanael 
could no longer doubt ; he acknowledged Jesus to be the Son of God, 
the King of Israel. 

Then Jesus promised that the day should come when he should see 
angels ascending and descending upon the Son of man. To what day 
did he refer ? Was it not to the day when he will come again in the 
glory of his Father with all his holy angels ? Both his enemies and his 
friends will then perceive that he is the Son of God. Every eye shall 
see Him, (Rev. I.) Some shall wail when they see Him whom they 
despised and neglected, sitting on the throne of judgment ; but some 
will rejoice when they behold Him to whom they often prayed under 
fig-trees or in closets, sitting on his throne of glory amidst ten thou- 
sand times ten thousand angels. Are there any here who often pray 



SO JESUS TURNS WATER INTO WINE. [FEB. 5. 

to Christ in secret ? Is it not a comfort to you to think that he sees 
you, and that he will acknowledge you as his children at the great day ? 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. CXXXIX. God's all-seeing eye. 



John II. 1-10. — Jesus turns water into wine. 

The Lord Jesus began his ministry by a miracle. Several of his 
disciples beheld this display of his power. It is probable Nathanael 
was one of them ; for though he is not mentioned in the list of the 
twelve apostles, it is generally supposed that Bartholomew, the apos- 
tle, was the same person as Nathanael. 

When Jesus had been three days in Galilee he went to a marriage 
feast. It is plain, therefore, that there are some feasts to which it is 
not sinful to go. We are sure, however, that Jesus would not have 
gone to a feast where there was profaneness, drunkenness, or rioting; 
nor would the newly-married have invited such a holy guest, if they 
had intended to give an unholy feast. Wine was the common drink 
of the land of Canaan, and was not so strong as the wine used in this 
country, which is mixed with brandy. As grapes grew in the fields 
of Canaan, wine was so cheap that even poor people could afford to 
drink it. It is probable that the newly-married were poor persons, 
because Jesus himself, as well as his disciples, was poor, and he had 
not yet become celebrated as a prophet. Poverty may have prevented 
them from providing sufficient wine for the company. When the 
store was exhausted, the mother of Jesus spoke to him as if she ex- 
pected her son to provide more by a miracle ; she said, " They have 
no wine." The Lord's answer may appear disrespectful, but it was 
not so. In the Eastern countries " woman" is as respectful a title as 
" madam" would be here ; and even princesses are thus addressed. 
When Jesus said, " Woman, what have I to do with thee, mine hour 
is not yet come ;" he meant to show his mother, that though he had 
obeyed her commands in common things, he could not be directed by 
her in his heavenly Father's business. He had told her this when he 
was a child, and was found by her in the temple. The Roman Cath- 
olics, therefore, much mistake when they entreat Mary to command 
her Son to bestow blessings on them. 

And do not we also mistake when we venture to dictate to Jesus ? — 
when we think he ought to give us any blessing, or remove any afflic- 
tion ? When we thus think in our hearts, let us hear Jesus address- 
ing us in these words : " What have I to do with thee ; mine hour is 
not yet come." Perhaps He may intend to do what we desire ; but 
we must not hasten him, his own time is the best. 

The mother of our Lord still expected that her Son would do some 



FEB. 5.] JESUS TURNS WATER INTO WINE. 81 

wonderful deed, and she said to the servants, " Whatsoever he saith 
unto you, do it." This was a safe command to give. We may say 
this to each other at all times. " Whatsoever he saith unto you, 
do it." 

You know that the Jews had many customs about purifying or 
washing themselves : some of these customs were commanded by God, 
and some were invented by men. They always kept large jars for 
water in their houses. These jars Jesus desired the servants to fill ; 
they obeyed without questioning, and even drew out the water to hand 
to the ruler of the feast, without knowing what they presented. The 
jars were filled to the brim, so that it was certain tnat no wine could 
be added secretly to the water. 

The ruler of the feast was a man who had the management of it 
intrusted to him by the bridegroom. He was surprised to taste such 
excellent wine, and calling the bridegroom, expressed his surprise that 
he should have kept the good wine until the last, when men usually 
give the best wine first, as the flavor is most relished at the beginning 
of a feast. In this speech the ruler bore witness, without intending it, 
to the excellence of Christ's works, and gave his testimony to the per- 
fection of the miracle. 

How benevolent a miracle this was ! It showed forth Christ's ten- 
der concern for our comfort even in the smallest matters ; though he 
would not turn the stones into bread to satisfy his own hunger, he 
turned water into wine to supply the guests at the marriage feast. But 
his chief purpose in working this miracle was to show fortli his glory 
as the Son of God, that his people might believe in him to everlasting 
life. He can bestow upon us that wine which will make our hearts 
glad throughout eternity. All who come to him will find reason to 
say, " Thou hast kept the good wine until now." It is his method to 
keep the best things to the last : but it is Satan's method to do the 
reverse. The children of this world have their best things first. They 
find life grow darker and darker as they advance ; their youthful days 
are their happiest, (they confess this themselves ;) cares soon overcloud 
them, disappointments depress them, infirmities overtake them ; the 
gloom continually increases, till it ends in the darkness of the grave. 
Such is the worldling's portion. Satan gives the good wine first, and 
then that which is worse. What a miserable portion is the world ! 

Christ deals just in a contrary manner : " The path of the just is as 
the shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day." 
Every truly religious person finds his happiness increase with his age ; 
so that he would not be as he was once, no, not for the sake of again 
possessing youth, and health, and relations, and comforts, which he 
may now have lost. The more religious he becomes, the more happy 
he finds himself. Even upon earth he begins to say, " Thou hast kept 
the good wine until now." What then will he say in heaven, when he 
drinks of the fruit of the vine with his Saviour ; that is, when he par- 
takes of the sweetness of redeeming love in all its perfection ! This 

11 



82 CHRIST PURIFIES THE TEMPLE. [fee. 6. 

happiness is offered to us. Shall we reject it, and prefer looking for 
our happiness from a world which is withering in our grasp ? 

Evening Scripture portion. Prov. IV. The path of the just 



John II. 11-17. — Christ purifies the temple. 

After working his first miracle, the Lord Jesus went to Capernaum? 
a city in Galilee, but he did not take up his abode there at present. 
Highly favored city, to be so early and so often visited by the Son of 
God ! Truly she was exalted unto heaven, so great were her privi- 
leges. Do not we also enjoy very great privileges — we, who hold the 
word of God in our hands ? May we profit more from our privileges 
than Capernaum did from hers ! 

Shortly after visiting this city, the Lord travelled up to Jerusalem, 
to keep the passover. In the gospel of St. John, all the passovers from 
this time till the Lord's death are recorded. It is by counting them, 
that it has been discovered how long Jesus exercised his ministry, and 
at what age he died. He became a minister at thirty, his ministry 
lasted three years and a half; and he died at the age of thirty-three 
years and a half. 

When he was at Jerusalem at the passover, he made a public dis- 
play of his power and holiness. The courts of the temple (not the very 
temple itself) were crowded by those who brought beasts and birds for 
sacrifices, and also by those who changed Roman money for Jewish 
coins, to be cast into the treasury. No doubt these traders in animals 
and money excused themselves for making God's house a place of 
trade by the thought of the holy use for which the animals and money 
were designed. But this excuse was not sufficient in God's sight. 
His temple was called a house of prayer, and it was made into a house 
of merchandise. He was displeased by the disturbance given to his 
worship, and by the disrespect shown to himself. And may there not 
be customs common among Christians which are displeasing to God ? 
We may have excuses ready to offer for our conduct ; but are they 
such as will be received at the day of judgment? 

It was wonderful that the people selling animals and changing mon- 
ey submitted to the authority of a poor and almost unknown man, arm- 
ed only with a whip, and unsupported by the rulers. But such divine 
power accompanied his words and his actions, and such terror from the 
Lord spread among the multitude, that the traders fled before him. At 
the same time, Jesus openly declared that he was the Son of God, for 
he called the temple his "Father's house." The disciples were much 
struck by their Lord's conduct ; they were no doubt astonished to see 
one usually so meek and gentle, acting with so much boldness and 



FEB. 7.'] CHRIST SPEAKS OF THE TEMPLE OF xlIS BODY. 83 

courage. Then they remembered a sentence in the Psalms, descri- 
bing the character of the expected Messiah : " The zeal of thine house 
hath eaten me up." (Ps. lxix. 9.) What is the meaning of this verse ? 
Zeal signifies an ardent desire. Jesus was full of zeal, but on what 
account ? For God's house. By " house" we understand not only the 
temple, but God's service, his people, his commandments, and all that 
belongs to him. A zeal for God's house means an ardent desire for 
his glory. Jesus had so strong a zeal that it ate him up, or consumed 
him. It is common to say, " Such a one is swallowed up of grief." 
It might be said of Jesus that he was swallowed up with a desire for 
God's honor. This was his chief desire, his ruling passion. 

How different from this zeal is the desire that fills us by nature. 
By nature, we are eaten up with a zeal, not for God's house, but for 
our own pleasure, and honor, and interest. This is the reason that we 
take up so warmly any insult offered to ourselves, but are so indiffer- 
ent respecting insults offered to God. If any person reproach us, or 
injure us, we turn in our minds how we can prevent his continuing to 
annoy us. We are uneasy and restless till we can defend ourselves. 
But how do we feel when we hear of God's commands being broken ? 
Are we anxious to find out some way of stopping the evil? Do we 
feel as David did, when he said, " My zeal hath consumed me, because 
mine enemies keep not thy law ;" or when he said, " Rivers of waters 
run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law ?" O that such 
a spirit dwelt in us ! If we love God, we do feel something of this 
grief already. There are some among our magistrates and rulers who 
openly speak for God, and are ready to bear scorn and hatred for His 
sake ; for all must be prepared for such treatment who endeavor to 
prevent the commission of sin. Faithful ministers, who oppose plays, 
fairs, and wakes, and other popular amusements, and who speak in the 
pulpit against sabbath-breaking, intemperance, and all ungodliness, are 
generally hated on that account. Even Jesus was hated, because he 
testified of the world that its works were evil. The reproaches of those 
that reproached God fell upon him. (Ps. lxix. 9.) May we hate evil 
as he did, though men should hate us also. If we sincerely hate sin, 
we shall hate it most in our own hearts, and ask God to cleanse them, 
and to render us vessels meet for the Master's use. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. LXIX. Zeal for God's house. 



John II. 18 to end. Christ speaks of the temple of his body. 

How could the Jews desire a sign of Christ's right to clear the tem- 
ple of the traders ? What could have enabled him to send out these 
profane men but the power of God ? Was not that a sign of his au- 



84 CHRIST SPEAKS OF THE TEMPLE OF HIS BODY. [feb. 7 

thority ? Yet still the Jews, or the chief men of Jerusalem, desired a 
sign ; but Christ refused to give them any, except that great sign of his 
own resurrection from the dead. This is God's constant way of deal- 
ing : he gives no sign to those who wish not to believe in him, and who 
only ask for a sign as an excuse for their unbelief. 

What a remarkable name Jesus gave to his body ! — He called it a 
temple. What is a temple ? — the habitation of God. Christ's body 
was indeed a temple, for the Godhead dwelt in him. It is true, all real 
Christians form one great temple ; for St. Paul says to them, " Ye are 
the temple of the living God ; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, 
and walk in them." (2 Cor. vi. 16.) But Christ was a temple in a 
still higher sense, for he and his Father were one. 

When he said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise 
it up," neither his friends nor his enemies understood him. Yet these 
words were not forgotten ; they were brought forward against him by 
his enemies when he was judged, and they were remembered by his 
friends after his rising again. No doubt there are many things in 
scripture which we do not yet understand. Let us look to Christ to 
teach us what we find to be dark and difficult. In the day of sorrow 
God often reveals the secret meaning of his words to his children. 
Some texts, in which we now see little beauty, may be our rod and 
staff when passing through the valley of the shadow of death. 

There were some persons at Jerusalem, who, seeing the miracles 
that Jesus did, felt convinced that he was a true prophet, but they did 
not love him, nor desire his love. Now observe how Jesus behaved 
towards these persons. " He did not commit himself unto them ;" 
(ver. 24 ;) that is, he did not place any confidence in them, but was on 
his guard when before them ; he did not open to them his secrets, and 
tell them all the things that the Father had told him, as he did to his 
beloved disciples. (John xv. 15.) He treated his true disciples as 
" friends ;" but these persons he knew still to be his enemies, for their 
hearts were not made new, and the natural heart of man is enmity 
against God. (Rom. viii. 7.) 

It is a solemn thought that Jesus knows the hearts of all men. Men 
often deceive each other by false professions of piety, but they never 
can deceive him ; he knows what is in them. It is said in the book 
of Revelation, that his eyes are like a flame of fire. When he writes 
to the Seven Churches by the hand of his disciple John, (Rev. ii. iii.,) 
he begins each letter with these words, " I know thy works." There 
is a beautiful history contained in a tract called Jejana, in which we 
are told of a little Hottentot maid, who, entering a church for the first 
time, heard the minister preach from these words, "I know thy works." 
In her ignorance, she thought the preacher himself was God, and tried 
to hide herself from his sight behind a pillar in the aisle where she 
was standing ; for all the lies she had uttered and the thefts she had 
committed, rushed to her remembrance as the sentence was uttered, 
" I know thy works." But how light was the guilt of this heathen 



FEB. 8.] CHRIST'S CONVERSATION WITH NICODEMUS. 85 

child, compared to that of a well-instructed person who is yet uncon- 
verted ! It is not only for having committed such sins as she had 
committed, that persons in a Christian land will be condemned at last, 
but for having refused to belie ve in the Son of God, with the heart. 
Christ knows the heart of every one of us ; he knows what is in us ; 
ke knows whether we truly love him or not. If we do not love him, 
we do not believe in him in the right manner, and our faith can only 
be a dead faith, and such as will not save us. 

Let each of us ask himself, " Do I so believe in Christ, that he 
might commit himself unto me, that he might consider me as a friend 
if he were upon earth ?" Can we say like the apostle Peter, " Lord, 
thou knowest all things ; thou knowest that I love thee ?" 

Evening Scripture portion. Rev. II. 1-17. Christ knows our works. 



John III. 1-8. — Christ's conversation with Nicodemus. 

What can be so interesting as to hear how the Saviour instructed a 
person who desired to know the way of salvation ! What a privilege 
Nicodemus enjoyed when he talked alone with the Son of God ! 
What a privilege we enjoy when we read the account of this conver- 
sation ! 

Jesus could suit his conversation exactly to the case of Nicodemus, 
for he knew the state of his heart, and could tell with certainty what 
it would be the most profitable to say. 

Nicodemus was a Pharisee ; one of that sect who placed their trust 
in the outward observance of the law, and who neglected to purify the 
heart. He was a chief person, a ruler and teacher. It was not sur- 
prising, therefore, that he was ashamed to come to Jesus ppenly. He 
came by night for fear of the Jews, as we are afterwards told in John 
xix. 39. Jesus did not refuse to receive him on that account, so com- 
passionate is he to the infirmities of men ; but if Nicodemus had not 
conquered this base fear of man, he could not have become the disci- 
ple of Him who has said, " Whosoever shall deny me before men, 
him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven," (Matt. x. 
33.) Nicodemus afterwards grew so bold, that when the name of Je- 
sus was held in the greatest contempt he came forward with Joseph of 
Arimathea, and begged his body, that he might give it an honorable 
burial. But at the time we are reading of, he was still unconverted, 
and ignorant of his need of conversion ; he was, however, desirous of 
instruction, and did not shrink from a private interview with the Lord. 
He came to the light, even the light of the world, the Son of God. 

He began the conversation by telling the Lord that he believed he 
was a teacher come from God, because of the miracles he did ; but if 



86 CHRIST'S CONVERSATION WITH NICODEMUS [ F EB. 8. 

does not seem that he knew him to be the Lord of glory. Jesus im- 
mediately spoke to him of the concerns of his soul. The words 
" Verily, verily," show that the truth he was going to disclose was very 
important : " Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom 
of God." How necessary it is for us well to consider the meaning of 
this declaration ! Do we desire to see the kingdom of God ? We 
must then desire to be born again. 

What is it to be born again ? Nicodemus did not understand the 
expression ; he thought it related to the body, but it related to the soul. 
Our souls must be born again; that is, they must undergo a great 
change. As, when an infant is born, it undergoes a change, enters into 
a new world, has new desires, and joys, and sorrows ; so when our 
hearts are born again, they have new desires, and joys, and sorrows. 
This doctrine has offended many persons, who, knowing that they them- 
selves were not born again in this manner, have attempted to deny the 
true meaning of the words. Some have declared that all who have 
been baptized are born again ; but this cannot be true, for we read in 
Acts viii., of a man called Simon, who was baptized by the apostles, 
but who yet was not born again ; for Peter said to him, " Thou hast 
neither part nor lot in this matter ; thy heart is not right in the sight of 
God." 

Water is the sign of the cleansing effects of the Spirit. God has 
appointed the use of water in baptism, to remind us of the neces- 
sity of being purified by his Spirit. No man can bestow saving grace 
upon another ; it is the work of God alone ; the apostles could not 
change the hearts of men ; Peter could not change the heart of the 
wicked Simon, to whom we have just referred. 

" That which is born of the flesh is flesh ; and that which is born of 
the Spirit is spirit." What is meant by the term " flesh ?" Does it 
mean the body ? It means not only the body, but also the soul. 
The soul as well as the body is called " flesh," in Scripture, because 
the unconverted soul loves fleshly things ; it only delights in the 
earth — all its desires are after the things of the world, its pleasures, 
profits, and honors. But when the Spirit changes a man's fleshly 
heart, then he has a spiritual nature ; then he has desires after spiritual 
things, after holiness and heaven. By this sign we must examine our- 
selves. Do we love the things of earth most, or the things of the 
Spirit ? For it is declared in Rom. viii. 5, " They that, are after the 
flesh, do mind the things of the flesh ; but they that are after the 
Spirit, the things of the Spirit." 

But perhaps you may ask, " How is this change effected ?" How 
does the Holy Spirit enter into the soul ? Can a person see him enter 
in ? No ; the change is wrought silently and secretly ; for this reason 
the Spirit is compared to the wind which bloweth where it listeth ; 
that is, which seems to blow where it likes, for man cannot control it, 
or even tell whence it comes. Thus, God sends his Spirit where He 
will, and we cannot tell how this holy Spirit changes the wicked heart 






FEB. 9.j CHRIST'S CONVERSATION WITH NICODEMUS. 87 

of man. We cannot see the wind, or understand its course ; yet we 
perceive the effects of the wind ; we can also behold the effects of the 
Spirit. Is it our great happiness to feel these effects in our own soul ? 
Those who have felt the refreshing breeze spring up in the evening of 
a sultry day, need no argument to convince them that the wind blows. 
How refreshing to the soul are the effects of the new birth ! Before 
a soul is born again, it pants for happiness, but pants in vain ; but 
when it knows that its sins are blotted out by the Saviour's blood, then 
it feels satisfied, and like a long-lost child just restored to a parent's 
arms, cries out, " Abba, Father." 

Evening Scripture portion. Rom. VIII. 1-17. The earthly and the spiritual mind. 



John III. 9-21. — The conversation concluded. 

Nicodemus was very ignorant of the meaning of the Scriptures ; he 
knew the words familiarly, but not the tilings spoken of. He had no 
idea that a change of heart was necessary. He ought to have known 
it, because he had often read the words of the prophet Ezekiel, " A 
new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you ; 
and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give 
you a heart of flesh/' (that is, a soft, tender, feeling heart,) Ezek. xxxvi. 
26. Now this promise of a new heart, refers to the blessing of the 
new birth. 

Nicodemus was a master, or a teacher in Israel, yet he knew not 
these things. Are there not many things which we ought to know, 
and which yet we know not ? We ought to seek to know the meaning 
of the Scriptures, inquiring of our minister or pious friends, reading 
books they recommend, and, above all, comparing one 'part with an- 
other, while we entreat the Lord to open the eyes of our understand- 
ings, to behold the wondrous things in his law. 

Jesus did not explain the new birth to Nicodemus ; it could not be 
explained — it must be experienced to be understood ; but he told him 
that he ought to believe in it ; for he said, " We speak that we do 
know." By " we" He meant himself and the prophets, who all spoke 
of this new birth. How wrong it is in men not to believe heavenly 
messengers, especially the Son of God ! " Ye receive not our witness." 
May it never be said of us, that we do not receive the witness of the 
Lord and his apostles ! Nicodemus, however, was willing to be in- 
structed, so Jesus continued to teach him, in spite of his ignorance and 
unbelief, for He is & patient teacher ; he will instruct the foolish and 
the slow of heart, if they will but listen to his words. 

He began next to unfold the wonders of redeeming love. Nicode- 
mus had often heard of the serpent of brass that Moses lifted up on a 



88 JOHN'S TESTIMONY TO CHRIST AT ENON. [FEB. 10. 

pole in the wilderness, in order that the Israelites that had been bitten 
by fiery serpents, might look, and live. This brazen serpent he de- 
clared to be a type of himself. He then spoke to Nicodemus of his 
Father's love to man. O that these words might sink deep into our 
hearts. " God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, 
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting 
life." What a gracious declaration ! What a free salvation ! " Who- 
soever.'''' No sinner is shut out, however horrible his sins ; every one 
who believes shall receive pardon and everlasting life. What can be 
the reason that all men do not believe ? This is the reason, " They 
love darkness," and why ? " Because their deeds are evil." Every 
sinner's conscience bears witness to this truth. There are many who 
say they desire to be religious, who profess to lament that they cannot 
pray — that they cannot love God. Were they sincere in what they 
said, they would use the means of becoming religious ; they w r ould 
try to pray ; they would read God's word, and seek the company of 
religious people. If one of you were to lose your precious sight, 
through an accident, you would not be satisfied by saying, " I wish my 
eyesight were restored ; but I have no skill to restore it myself, and I 
cannot find my way to an oculist ; I must therefore remain as I am." 
O no ; you would prevail on some person to lead you to one who had 
already cured blind people, and then you would follow his directions, 
however irksome they might be. 

Now if you desired to become truly religious, you would act in the 
same manner — you would use the means of grace — you would ask 
your pious friends to help you to find the way of life, and you would 
cry earnestly to God. What excuse shall we give to God at the last 
day, if we refuse to come to the light ? Great will be our condemna- 
tion. Has God given us his only Son, and shall we refuse to come to 
him ? Shall we remain unconcerned about him, and occupied with 
worldly trifles and cares, and then think to escape the just judgment 
of God 1 Whatever excuses we may make to ourselves now for such 
conduct, they will not be accepted at the day of account. The sin 
and folly of neglecting the way of salvation will then be openly seen, 
and all those who are condemned will have nothing to say in their own 
defence. 

Evening Scripture portion. Numbers XXII. 1-9. The brazen serpent. 



John III. 22 to the end. — John's testimony to Christ at Enon. 

How little did the Jews understand the character of John the Bap- 
tist ! Some of them thought that he would be jealous of the Lord 
Jesus. How was that possible, when he came into the world to bear 



FEB. 10.] JOHN'S TESTIMONY TO CHRIST AT ENON. 89 

witness to Him, and to persuade men to believe in Him ? Some peo- 
ple came to John, complaining that Jesus baptized, and that all men 
came to him. John earnestly desired that all men should come to 
Christ ; not come to him only to be baptized with water, but to be 
washed from their sins, and baptized with the Holy Ghost. 

John's answer shows in the most beautiful manner the humility of 
his heart and the sincerity of his love to Christ. Though he had been 
much admired as a preacher, he was not lifted up with pride. He 
knew and declared that " a man can receive nothing, unless it be given 
him from above." O that we could always keep this truth in our 
minds ! Then we should perceive the folly of pride, as well as its 
wretchedness. What have we that we have not received ? Yet how 
apt we are to be puffed up, as though we had not received, and even 
to boast to others of our abilities, our possessions, our connections ; of 
our numerous friends, and amiable qualities ! We ought only to feel 
thankful to God for his gifts, and to humble ourselves in his sight, be- 
cause we are unworthy of his notice ; this is what the angels do who 
excel in strength, in wisdom, and in beauty. How awful it is when 
we feel proud of God's spiritual blessings ! If he has put grace in 
our hearts, or enabled us to convert others, how unspeakably thankful 
we should be ! To be proud of such mercies is, indeed, the blackest 
ingratitude. 

John the Baptist was full of love .to the Saviour ; he compared him 
to a bridegroom, and himself to the bridegroom's friend. The bride 
is the church, Christ's believing people. It was John's desire to lead 
all men to love Christ. He had succeeded in persuading some to love 
him, and now he knew that Jesus was rejoicing over these believers. 
To hear the bridegroom's voice was his chief joy ; he delighted in 
praising the bridegroom ! he called himself earthly, but he declared 
Jesus to be heavenly, for he came from above. He himself had only 
received a measure of the Spirit ; but Jesus had received the Spirit 
without measure, that is, in an infinite degree. 

He then described the exceeding happiness of believers in Christ, 
and the miserable condition of unbelievers. These are John's words : 
" He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that be- 
lieveth not shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." 
It is not said, that he that believeth shall have everlasting life, but that 
he hath even now everlasting life. Jt is not said that he that believeth 
not, shall taste the wrath of God, but that now the wrath of God abideth 
on him. Every person is at this moment in one of these conditions ; 
he either has everlasting life, or he is under the wrath of God. How 
very happy, or how very miserable every creature ought to be ! Ought 
not that person to be miserable, who knows that at any moment he may 
be snatched away from the scene of his enjoyments ? If we were 10 
see a man living in splendor, in a magnificent house, surrounded by 
luxuries, and were told that he had immense debts, and that numerous 
creditors might at any moment thrust him into prison, should we count 

12 



90 JOHN'S IMPRISONMENT. [FEB. 11. 

him happy ? He could not be happy, if he reflected upon his circum- 
stances. Perhaps he would not reflect ; perhaps he would run from 
one diversion to another, and thus endeavor to keep up his spirits. 
Now all unbelievers owe an immense debt to the justice of God, and 
they are in danger at any moment of being thrust into prison, even that 
prison of hell whence none ever escape. They would not enjoy a 
moment's peace if they reflected on their condition. 

How different is the state of the believer ! If you were to see a 
poor man, coarsely clothed and scantily fed, and if you were to be 
assured he was the heir of a large estate, you would expect him to 
bear his present hardships without murmuring. If we believe in the 
Son of God, we are the heirs of God ; we were his debtors, but Christ 
paid our debt by his blood, and when we believed, we were free from 
it ; and not only so, but we were made the heirs of a heavenly king- 
dom. Ought we not to rejoice exceedingly, and to reckon nothing of 
our present losses and disappointments, because of the great inherit 
ance promised to us ? 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Ps. LXXIII. The wicked and the righteous. 



Luke III. 19, 20. — John's imprisonment. 

The beautiful discourse that we lately read was the last discourse 
of John the Baptist that we find in the Scriptures. Soon after deliv- 
ering it, he was cast into prison. It was Herod who imprisoned him. 
This Herod was the son of that Herod who slew the babes of Beth- 
lehem, and he resembled his father in wickedness. As he was the 
governor of a fourth part of the land of Canaan, he is called a tetrarch, 
(which means the governor of the fourth part of a kingdom.) The 
Romans had made him governor of Judea. He had heard John 
preach. We are not informed whether he had gone into the wilder- 
ness to hear him, or whether he had sent for John into his palace ; but 
we are told what effect John's preaching produced upon him. If we 
refer to St. Mark's gospel, we shall find an account of the sort of im- 
pression it made upon him. (Mark vi. 20.) " Herod feared John, 
knowing that he was a just man and a holy." Herod had a reverence 
for the character of John ; though a wicked man, he respected John. 
This affords us a lesson. Perhaps we feel a respect for some holy 
men, yet this is not a proof that we are holy ourselves. 

Herod did more than this : " He observed John." He took notice 
of what he said ; he remembered it. Unconverted persons are often 
struck with the sermons they hear. But Herod did more still : " He 
did many things." He reformed many parts of his conduct. Perhaps 



FEB. 11.] JOHN'S IMPRISONMENT. 91 

be showed more kindness- to the poor, more attention to public wor- 
ship, or more justice to his subjects. We are not informed what were 
the things which he altered ; but we know that he altered not a few, 
but many things. Have we altered many things in our conduct, since 
we heard the gospel ? It is well if we have : it is well if we read the 
Bible more ; if we give away more ; if we have left off openly break- 
ing the Sabbath ; or using profane language ; or partaking of worldly 
amusements ; but none of these things prove that we are converted. 

But Herod did more still ; " Herod heard John gladly." He took 
delight in his instructions. Was not that a good sign ? It is a good 
sign if we take pleasure in listening to a faithful preacher, or to a pious 
friend, or in reading good books ; but it is possible to do so, and yet 
to love sin ; for though Herod heard sermons gladly, when John told 
him that it was not lawful for him to have his brother's wife, he was 
angry. Herod had committed a great crime : he had divorced his own 
wife, that he might marry Herodias, his brother Philip's wife ; he 
could not bear to part from her. This was the sin he would not 
give up. 

What a faithful preacher John was ! though he knew that Herod 
had power to kill him, he feared not to tell him the truth. How diffi- 
cult it is to act like John ! A minister knows that he shall give offence 
to sinners, if he speaks to them plainly of their sins. As long as he 
speaks in general terms, he does not offend them ; but as soon as he 
points out the peculiar sins of each class of persons, then he makes 
them enemies. When he reproves tradesmen for selling on the Sab- 
bath, young people for frequenting places of worldly amusement, the 
poor for committing secret acts of dishonesty, the rich for living in 
pride and luxury, then he is hated for his interference. But how 
wicked it is to be angry with a faithful minister for pointing out our 
sins ! If we do not turn from our favorite sins we shall perish. Herod 
would not pluck out his right eye, which was Herodias ; he would not 
go with one eye to heaven, he preferred going with two t6 hell ; he 
preferred his pleasure upon earth to everlasting joy. 

See how one sin leads to another. Herod added this above all, that 
he shut up John in prison. Great as was the crime of marrying his 
brother's wife, the sin of shutting up John in prison was greater in 
God's eyes. And why was it greater? Because it was an insult 
committed directly against God ; for God considers his children as 
himself. Whoever injures one of them., injures Him ; for they are as 
dear to him as the apple of his eye. Besides, by shutting up John in 
prison, Herod hindered the preaching of the gospel ; and thus he mur- 
dered men's souls. It is a dreadful sin to hinder the spread of the 
gospel. How much those will have to answer for, who have discour- 
aged persons from hearing the gospel ! 

Herodias was more bitter against John than Herod himself, and 
would gladly have prevailed upon the monarch to kill him. But there 
were two reasons which prevented his committing this crime ; the fear 



92 CHRIST'S CONVERSATION WITH [feb. 12. 

of man, and his own conscience. We find in St. Matthew's gospel, 
xiv. 5, the following words : " And when he would have put him to 
death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a pro- 
phet." The fear of man often prevents people following the commands 
of God, but it sometimes for a season hinders the wicked from doing 
bad actions. Herod's own conscience also made him unwilling to kill 
John, for the conscience of sinners restrains them as well as the fear 
of man. May we be kept from sin by better motives than those of 
Herod ! The love of God in our hearts would make us hate every 
sin. Let us inquire whether there is any sin we refuse to part with. 
If we are not seeking to please God in all things, we cannot have con- 
fidence towards him : our own hearts condemn us, and " God is greater 
than our heart, and knoweth all things." 1 John hi. 20. 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Ezek. XIV. The stumbling-block of iniquity. 



John IV. 1-15. — Christ's conversation with the woman of Samaria. 

Every one must desire to know what our Saviour thought fit to say 
to a poor ignorant woman, whom he met beside a well. He was al- 
ways watching for opportunities of doing good to the souls and bodies 
of men. Though He was weary, and doubtless hungry and thirsty 
also, he was intent upon his Father's business ; while we are continu- 
ally making excuses for not speaking to persons about their souls ! 

Observe how he begins the conversation : he asks the woman to give 
him some water to drink. She returns an uncivil, unfeeling reply : 
" How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a 
woman of Samaria ?" It was true that the Samaritans and Jews did 
live at enmity with each other ; but this was very wicked, and our 
Saviour would not follow such wicked customs. However, he did 
not enter into a dispute on this subject, but passed on to one more im- 
portant. In talking to people upon religion, we should keep the chief 
object in view, and not be induced to dispute on less important points. 

How soft an answer did our Saviour return to the uncourteous wo- 
man ! He saw her ignorance, and pitied her : he saw she was ruining 
her own soul by her refusal to have any dealings with him. How 
majestic and how touching is his reply ! (v. 10.) "If thou knewest 
the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, ' Give me to drink,' 
thou w r oiildest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living 
water." 

The woman did not understand this answer ; she did not know what 
the stranger meant by the " gift of God." She did not know that He 
himself was the gift of God, the Father, to a lost world ; neither did 



FEB. 12.] THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 93 

she know what he meant by " living water ;" she thought he meant 
running water ; she did not know that he spoke of the Holy Spirit. 
She began, indeed, to suspect that he was some great person, though 
he appeared a poor man ; but she could not believe that he was greater 
than Jacob who had digged the well in old time. Neither could she 
imagine that any water could be better than the water of that well, and 
that water she was sure the stranger could not give to her, as he could 
not procure it for himself. But though she could allow the blessed 
Lord to remain parched with thirst, He was willing to supply her with 
the water of everlasting life. 

He continued the conversation by pointing out a defect in the water 
of Jacob's well. " Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst, again." 
There is the same defect in all earthly pleasures and comforts ; they 
seem to satisfy us for a little time, but. soon the tormenting thirst re- 
turns. Have we not often experienced the truth of this? We have 
partaken of some pleasure, and have felt satisfied ; but O how short 
was our satisfaction ? We soon become restless and uneasy again. 
Thus we continue to thirst till we are made partakers of the Holy 
Ghost ; then we feel satisfied. Then we find within ourselves a source 
of happiness. What is this source of never-failing delight ? It is the 
sense of pardoned sin, of God's love in Christ, the hope of heaven, and 
of meeting our Redeemer there. Have you not heard of persons 
racked with pain, who yet enjoyed a peace that passeth all under- 
standing ? Perhaps you have seen such persons, and have wondered 
at their case. Behold the mystery explained ; they drank, indeed, of 
no stream of earthly comforts, but there was in them a well of water 
springing up that never could be exhausted, and therefore they thirsted 
not after the muddy waters of this world. 

The Samaritan woman did not understand the Saviour's meaning ; 
yet she made the right request, for she said, " Give me of this water." 
O that we might all make this prayer, understanding for what it is we 
ask ! God would certainly grant it. What ! did God give his own 
Son to die for us, and shall He think any thing too great to give us ? 
Who could have thought of such a gift ? much less who could have 
dared to ask for it ! that the Judge should give his only Son to die for 
the criminal ! But as God has done this, and slain his beloved Son 
for us, is it not extreme ingratitude in us not to come to Him for the 
gifts the Saviour purchased with his blood ! Jesus laid down his life 
to procure for us the Holy Spirit, the living water ; and shall we neg- 
lect to ask for this precious gift ? God forbid ! Let each of us cry 
earnestly — constantly to God, " Give me this living water, O thou who 
hast so loved the world as to give thy only-begotten Son !" 

Evening Scripture portion. Rev. XXII. The water of life. 



94 THE CONVERSATION CONTINUED. [feb. 13. 



John IV. 16-24. — The conversation continued. 

When the Lord said, " Go call thy husband and come hither," the 
woman may have thought that he knew nothing about her circumstan- 
ces ; but his next words showed that he was acquainted with her whole 
history. Why then did he desire her to call her husband ? He wished 
to bring her sins to her remembrance. It is probable that she had 
been divorced from these husbands, or had left them in a wicked man- 
ner. It was painful to her to be reminded of the sins of past years, 
and to be detected in pursuing even at that time an immoral course. 
But why did Jesus inflict this pain and this shame ? That he might 
afterwards confer on this unhappy sinful woman everlasting glory and 
felicity. Let us not turn away from the remembrance of our sins. 
Every one must be brought low before he can be lifted up. We 
naturally shrink from being exposed even to ourselves ; this is our folly 
and our sin. 

The Samaritan woman (though now convinced that the stranger 
was a true prophet) did not like to dwell upon the circumstances of her 
history. She attempted to turn the conversation, and instead of inquiring 
how she might obtain forgiveness, referred to the chief points in dispute 
between the Jews and the Samaritans. The Jews said that Jerusalem 
was the place where men ought to worship God, and the Samaritans 
professed to worship him on a mountain in Samaria. Now Jerusalem 
was the place where God had commanded men to offer sacrifices ; but 
he permitted them to pray to him everywhere. The Samaritans had 
done very wrong in building a temple on Mount Gerizim ; their ex- 
cuse was, that the Israelites in ancient times had pronounced blessings 
from this mountain, (as recorded in Deut. xxvi.) It was to this the wo- 
man referred when she said, " Our fathers worshipped in this mountain." 

The Samaritans boasted of being descended from the Israelites, 
though they were chiefly of Assyrian origin. For when the king of 
Assyria took captive the last king of Israel and his people, he filled 
the land with Assyrians. At first these Assyrians worshipped idols, 
but afterwards they left off idolatry. Yet though they did not worship 
idols, they did not worship God. Jesus said to the woman, " Ye wor- 
ship ye know not what.' 1 '' There are many in Christian countries who, 
like these Samaritans, do not worship the true God, though they think 
they do. God is a spirit. Do those believe that He is a spirit, who 
while they feel no love, nor reverence for his name, yet bend the knee 
and move the lip in seeming adoration ? If we knew that an earthly 
sovereign could see into our hearts, and if we felt no love, no reverence 
for him, should we not be afraid of entering into his presence ? Till 
we love God, we cannot worship him. What then is a sinner to do 
who is conscious that he does not. love God ? Let him confess his 
sins ; let him ask for a new heart ; let him think of God's love in giv- 
ing his Son to die for a guilty world. 



FEB. 14.] THE SPIRITUAL HARVEST. 95 

Though God is surrounded by millions of angels who worship him 
in spirit and in truth, yet He seeks for other worshippers. He is so 
condescending, that he delights in the praises of penitent sinners : He 
even seeketh such to worship him. Perhaps last night or this morning 
He saw you worshipping him alone in your chamber ; perhaps your 
voice was heard by no human creature, but your heart was full of sor- 
row for past sins, and of gratitude to God for having spared you so 
long. The Father of your spirit heard that prayer. He will answer it. 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Kings XVII. 24 to end. Samaria. 



John IV. 25-38. — The spiritual harvest. 

The ignorant Samaritan woman was much struck with the conver- 
sation of the stranger sitting by the well. It put her in mind of the 
promise she had heard of a Messias, who should come into the world 
and instruct men. She seems at length to have desired instruction. 
She said, " When he is come, he will tell us all things." He has 
come already, and has told us all things. Are there not some here 
who love his words, and desire to keep them ? 

What a joyful moment that was when the Lord revealed himself un- 
to the woman, and said, " I that talk unto thee am he." In her joy, it 
is probable, she did not remember that she had refused him a cup of 
cold water. She was now anxious that others should hear the heaven- 
ly stranger, and she ran with haste into the city. She told her coun- 
trymen how she had been convinced that Jesus was the Christ. She 
said, " Come see a man that told me all the things that ever I did. Is 
not this the Christ ?" Now one great proof that the Bible is the word 
of God, is, that it tells us all things that ever we did : not that it can 
tell each person his own life in particular, but it describes such men as 
we are, shows us the secrets of our hearts, and makes us feel that He 
who wrote it knew every thing concerning us. For this reason some 
hate the word ; they will not believe that their hearts are deceitful 
above all things, and desperately wicked. This woman did not turn 
away from the Saviour's word because it exposed the sins of her life. 
Had she turned away, what infinite blessings she would have lost ! 

The disciples were astonished when they returned from the town 
with food, to find their Master talking in a friendly manner to a Sa- 
maritan woman. They thought that he was as prejudiced as them- 
selves ; but He who has made of one blood all the nations upon earth, 
is no respecter of persons. There are white people in some countries 
at the present day, who treat the poor blacks with as much contempt 
as if they had not souls to be saved ; but these persons have not the 
mind of Christ : " He that despiseth his neighbor sinneth." When we 



96 THE SPIRITUAL HARVEST. [FEB. 14. 

look down upon another on account of the circumstances of his birth, 
we sin against God. 

The disciples showed both respect and affection for their Master in 
their conduct on this occasion. They had too much respect to ask him 
why he talked with the woman ; and they had so much affection, that 
they could not bear to see him refuse the food they brought him. But 
Jesus was too intent upon the souls he was now going to save, to be 
able to eat. When we are going to enjoy a great delight, our appetite 
is taken away, and so it was with Jesus ; his meat was to do his Fath- 
er's will, and to finish his work. What was that will ? What was 
that work ? To seek and to save those which were lost ; to glorify his 
Father by the salvation of sinners. John xvii. 4. O what love Christ 
had, to take delight in saving us, his enemies ! Did He thus spend his 
life in willing labors for us, seeking no other pleasure than that of doing 
good ; and shall we spend ours in doing our own will, and seeking our 
own glory ? 

Jesus directed his disciples' attention to the people who were throng- 
ing to hear him from the town. He compared their conversion to a 
harvest he was going to reap. Then he explained to his disciples that 
God often appointed one person to sow and another to reap. A minis- 
ter who enters a place where the gospel has never been heard, may be 
compared to one who sows the good seed. Sometimes he is removed 
without seeing any fruit of his labor. Another follows him, and meets 
with great success in converting souls ; and this last minister may be 
compared to a reaper. Thus it was in Greenland. When Hans 
Egede first visited that land of ice and snow, he met with neglect and 
scorn ; and though he remained there fifteen years, he could not make 
an impression upon a single creature. Other missionaries from Ger- 
many followed in his steps, and they reaped an abundant harvest of 
souls ; and Greenland is now a Christian country. [Shall not Hans 
Egede who sowed the seed rejoice in heaven with the blessed men 
who reaped the sheaves ? Jesus promised his apostles that they should 
reap many souls when they preached ; his prophets had sown good 
seed long before, and had not reaped. Would God forget those poor 
persecuted prophets ? 

It is a great delight to be permitted to reap ; but it is a great comfort 
to think, that if we only sow, and even shed tears because we meet 
with no success, yet that our labor is not in vain in the Lord ; and that 
at the last day we shall doubtless come again, bringing our sheaves 
with us. There have been parents who have died fearing that their 
instructions had made no impression on the hearts of their children, 
and yet after their death some friend or minister has reaped those chil- 
dren's souls. Will not the parent rejoice with that friend when they 
all appear before God ? He that soweth and he that reapeth shall re- 
joice together. 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Cor. III. Ministers compared to husbandmen. 



FEB. 15.] THE CONVERSION OF THE SAMARITANS. 97 



John IV. 39 to end.— The conversion of the Samaritans, and the 
healing of the nobleman's son. 

Some of the Samaritans were longer in believing than others. Some 
believed on account of the woman's testimony, others — not until they 
had heard him themselves. We know it is best to believe without 
hesitation, for Jesus once said, " Blessed are thos°. who have not seen, 
and yet have believed." You remember how readily Mary believed 
the angel's message ; and Elizabeth said to her, " Blessed is she that 
beheveth, for there shall be a performance of the things told her of the 
Lord." But though some of the Samaritans were slow in believing ; — 
after they believed, they were bold in confessing their faith. They 
said, "We know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the 
world" what a title that is ! The Saviour of the " world ;" not of 
Jews only, but of Samaritans also, of some of every kindred and of 
every nation. May we all know him as our Saviour. We shall never 
truly love him till we know him, not only from report, but from expe- 
rience. How different is the state of that person who only knows Je- 
sus from what others have said of him, from his state who has re- 
ceived answers to his own prayers, and felt that his own sins are for- 
given ! 

Jesus could not stay more than' two days with these Samaritans ! 
We perhaps have heard a thousand sermons, and have read the Bible 
through many times. Is it possible that any one among us does not 
love the Saviour ? Would not these Samaritans rise up in judgment 
against one so much favored and yet so unfeeling ! 

Jesus did not return to Nazareth, which was his own country. 
There he was more despised than in any other place, because the 
people were accustomed to him. Though they had heard his blessed 
conversation year after year, and beheld his lovely example, they es- 
teemed him not. It often happens that the gospel is most neglected 
where it has been longest preached. The excellent Baxter said, " I 
wish to be the minister of a place, either where the people have heart- 
ily embraced the go^ i 1 or where they have never heard it ; but I 
dread being the minister of a place where the people have heard in 
vain." Those who have heard without profit become hardened, and 
are more rarely converted than others. 

We find in this chapter an instance of a nobleman coming to Jesus. 
Not many noble are called, yet some are called. This man was brought 
to Jesus by his afflictions. In his sorrowful circumstances this noble- 
man found himself as dependent upon God as a beggar. There was 
none but Jesus who could relieve his sorrow. The Lord did not fa- 
vor him more than others, but treated him with the greatest plainness. 
Had this nobleman been proud, like Naaman, the Syrian, he might 
have gone away in anger ; but he stood the trial of his faith. It was 

13 



98 CHRIST PREACHES AT NAZARETH. [fEB. 16. 

to try him, Jesus said, " Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not 
believe." The nobleman showed by his answer he believed already, 
for he replied, " Sir, come down ere my child die." Yet he had not 
such faith as the Centurion had, of whom we afterwards read ; for this 
nobleman did not believe that Jesus could save his child unless he 
came down to the spot where he lay. But the Lord is compassionate 
to weak faith, when it is real. Jesus gave a greater proof of his pow- 
er than the afflicted father had ever thought of : for he is able to do 
exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think," (Eph. iii. 20.) 
" Go thy way," said the Lord, "thy son liveth." The nobleman's 
faith was grown so strong, that he believed the declaration. Nor was 
that faith disappointed : for, while returning home, he learned that his 
child had recovered at the very hour that Jesus spake the word. He 
now acquaints his family with this great display of the power and love 
of Jesus. What is the result ? The whole family, wife, children, 
servants, believe. What a happy family they must have become ! 
The master's journey was blessed to his whole household. It is the 
fervent wish of every master who loves God, to bring his whole house 
hold to the knowledge of him. May this family and this household 
be joined to the household of faith, and to the family in heaven and 
earth who are named after Jesus the Lord ! 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Thess. II. Converts to the Gospel. 



Luke IV. 14-32. — Christ preaches at Nazareth. 

The people of Nazareth were much offended with the Lord for not 
visiting them immediately after his return from Jerusalem. They 
thought they had the best right to his presence. What a temper of 
mind was this ! Had they any right to Jesus, because he had conde- 
scended to be brought up among them ? What pride there was in the 
thought ! 

And what was their reason for desiring to h°"e him among them ? 
Were they thirsting for spiritual blessings, tne forgiveness of sins, the 
renewal of the heart ? No ; the Nazarenes were only anxious to par- 
take of temporal benefits ; they wished Jesus to heal their sick, as he 
had healed the sick of other cities. When, at length, He came to 
Nazareth, he was invited to read. It was usual for seven persons in 
succession to read a portion of the Scriptures ; one of them was a 
priest, another a Levite, but the other five might belong to any tribe. 
There was a minister of the synagogue, but his office was not like the 
office of ministers in our churches. It was his part to appoint which 
of the readers he pleased to read the lessons for the day. One of the 
lessons was taken from the law, and one from the prophets. The va- 



FEB. 16.] CHRIST PREACHES AT NAZARETH. 99 

rious books of the Scriptures were written on rolls of parchment. 
The roll containing the prophecy of Isaiah was presented to Jesus. 
The words he read were probably the lesson for the day, and they ap- 
plied most forcibly to himself. Did the Nazarenes understand the 
meaning of the sublime passage which the Saviour read on that day ? 
Perhaps some thought that Isaiah spoke of himself when he said, 
" The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to 
preach the gospel to the poor." But it was Jesus who really came to 
preach glad tidings, or " the gospel," to the poor in spirit. In that 
passage poor lost man is compared to a miserable prisoner, whose eyes 
had been put out, and who had been thrust into a dark dungeon. One 
of our Christian poets describes our condition by nature in the follow- 
ing stanza : — 

" Plunged in a gulf of deep despair, 

We wretched sinners lay, 
Without one beam of cheerful hope, 

Or spark of glimmering day." 

Jesus came to deliver the poor blind captive, bruised, or galled by 
the chains of sin. He came to preach the " acceptable year of the 
Lord." There was a year of deliverance among the Jews : it occur- 
red every fiftieth year, and was called the year of Jubilee. That year 
was a figure of Christ's great salvation from death and hell. Let 
each of us ask himself, " What do I know of this deliverance ? Am 
I still tied and bound with the chain of my sins ; or have I been set 
free from the power of Satan ?" 

The readers in the synagogue were permitted to explain the lesson 
they had read. Our Lord availed himself of this permission, and 
said, " This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." For a 
moment the people were astonished at his words ; but the next their 
pride rose. They remembered that he was considered to be the son of 
a carpenter, and they made this an excuse for despising him. It is 
pride which causes numbers to reject the word of salvation ; they 
think to themselves, " Who is that man that I should listen to him ? 
Why should he know more than I do ?" Thus the Nazarenes reasoned. 
Jesus knew well that rage was working in their hearts : he knew that 
they were angry with him for having healed the sick of other cities 
before he had healed theirs ; and he answered their thoughts by 
showing them that God had always chosen whom he would. Elijah 
in time of famine had sustained with oil and meal a widow of a 
heathen city ; and Elisha had cured a leper of a heathen country, and 
not of his own. Jesus would not encourage those earthly-minded 
people to expect any benefits from him : while they rejected the 
greatest, he would not give them the least. 

We see how hateful a worldly mind is to Jesus. If we are more 
anxious to possess an earthly portion than a heavenly inheritance, we 
are none of His. Yet you know well that the desire of the heart by 
nature is only for health, riches, pleasures, for worldly honor, or 



100 CHRIST AT CAPERNAUM. [feb. 17. 

domestic comforts. If Christ would bestow these on all who asked, 
what constant fervent prayers would be offered at his throne ! The 
heathen imagine that their idols will bestow earthly blessings upon 
them, and that is one reason they pray to them so earnestly. 

Behold with wonder the madness of the Nazarenes ! They cast 
out the Saviour of the world, and forfeit their part in all his blessings ! 
His Father preserved his life, for his hour was not yet come, and 
jt has been well observed, " His children are all immortal till their 
work is done." 

Can we behold without dismay such treatment of the Lord of 
heaven and earth ? If He who was so lovely and so gracious was 
thus treated, ought not we to be prepared for similar usage ? Had he 
been less faithful, the gentle Saviour might have avoided persecu- 
tion ; but he sought not to please men, but God ; he desired not to 
get honor, but to save souls. We may often escape persecution 
by acting insincerely and unfaithfully. But what, if we should also 
lose our peace of mind, and the approbation of God ! 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. LXI. The acceptable year. 



Matt. IV. 12-17. — Christ takes up his abode at Capernaum. 

The Lord Jesus chose to reside principally in the most ignorant 
part of Canaan ; he selected the part at the greatest distance from 
Jerusalem, and which bordered on the wicked cities of Tyre and 
Sidon. And what led him to do this ? Was it not pity for the 
ignorant and neglected ? There are some who are now employed in 
visiting the courts and alleys of great cities, and some who are going 
into desolate villages, and some who are leaving their country to 
dwell among the heathen. Are they not walking in the steps of their 
Master ? 

Jesus fulfilled a prophecy of Isaiah, by preaching in Zebulon and 
Naphtali. The words in the prophecy are difficult to understand, 
but learned men have offered a satisfactory explanation. Let us first 
read the prophecy in Isaiah ix. 1. Now let us read it with this 
alteration. Instead of reading " more grievously afflict," let us read, 
" made glorious." What is the sense of the passage ? It is this : 
Once the tribes of Zebulon and Naphtali were afflicted, (because, 
being situated on the borders of Canaan, they were exposed to the 
invasions of the enemy,) but afterwards they were " made glorious." 
How ? By the preaching of the Gospel. Yes, the Saviour by his 
presence and preaching bestowed glory on those sequestered spots. 
How great a blessing is the Gospel ! it may well be compared to a 



FEB. 18.] CHRIST CALLS PETER. 101 

great light, for it sheds peace and joy around it. How melancholy is 
the condition of those who do not hear the Gospel ! Well may they 
be said " to sit in darkness and the shadow of death." They do sit 
on the very brink of hell. We sometimes see a smiling village, 
seated on the side of a verdant hill, full of neat cottages and blooming 
gardens. We feel disposed to exclaim, "0! what a lovely spot!" 
But if the Gospel is not known there, it is, in the sight of God and of 
angels, a dismal place ; while on the gloomiest, darkest alley, where 
Christ's word is heard, they look with joy. 

In vain, however, the great light shone upon the people of Zebulon 
and Naphtali ; for the light did not shine into their hearts. Christ 
afterwards pronounced a wo upon some of their cities, Capernaum, 
Chorazin, and Bethsaida, because they repented not. 

Let us take warning from this. If God do not shine into our 
hearts, in vain for us are the splendors of the noonday sun ; in vain 
the clearest, most affecting preaching ; even the preaching of Christ 
himself. 

And about what did Jesus preach ? Repentance. And why did he 
preach " repentance ?" Because sorrow for sin and turning from it 
is the beginning of religion ; but though it is the beginning, it must 
never cease upon earth. As Philip Henry said, " Repentance shall 
follow me to the gates of heaven." Rowland Hill also observed, 
that if he could regret any thing when he entered heaven, it would be 
that he should no more shed the penitential tear. There is no 
religion without repentance. " A broken and a contrite heart, 
God, thou wilt not despise." May God bestow it upon each of us ! 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. IX. The light that shone in Zebulon and Naphtali. 



Matt. IV. 18-22. — Christ calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John. 

Was it not a high honor to follow the Lord Jesus from place to 
place, to hear his word both in private and public, and to behold his 
works of power and love ? Whom did he call to enjoy this honor ? 
Poor ignorant fishermen ; these became his intimate companions, his 
bosom friends, and his holy apostles. Thus, our glorious Lord stained 
the pride of all human glory ; as he had done before, by lying in a 
manger, and as he did afterwards, by dying on a cross between two 
thieves. How ill pride befits us, when the Lord of glory was so lowly ! 
Ought we to look down upon any one as beneath our notice, when the 
Son of God was so condescending ? It is true that there are different 
stations in society, and some stations are counted high, and others low. 
It is well that this difference should exist ; it is God's own wise ap- 
pointment. But it is not his will that the rich should despise the poor ; 



102 THE MIRACULOUS DRAUGHT OF FISHES. [feb. 19. 

no, he has made us all of one blood, and he has commanded us to love 
each other as brethren. 

Jesus might have chosen princes for his companions, or even angels, 
and sent them out as ministers of his Gospel ; but he preferred to pre- 
pare poor fishermen for the glorious work. Before he sent them out, 
he taught them for three years, and afterwards the Spirit caused them 
to know in a moment various languages. Education is now an im- 
portant preparation for the work of the ministry, as the wonderful gifts 
the apostles enjoyed are no longer bestowed. 

These men were employed in an industrious manner when Jesus 
called them. When God called Moses, he was keeping sheep; 
Gideon, he was thrashing ; Elisha, he was guiding the plough. In- 
dustry in our common callings is pleasing in God's sight ; a Christian 
should not be slothful in business. Yet these men were not so fond 
of their trade, or of their gains, as to prefer them to the service of 
Jesus. When he called, they left all and followed him. He did not 
bribe or entice them to come by promising them temporal rewards ; he 
told them plainly that his design in calling them was to make them 
fishers of men. The net they would hereafter use would be the Word 
of God ; the fish they would catch, the souls of men ; and the reward 
they would obtain, a heavenly crown. They had often toiled in fish 
ing, but they would toil more arduously in preaching ; they would find 
me*i more hard to catch than fish, and the hatred of the world more 
terrible to bear than the winds and the waves. Christ has now many 
faithful fishermen, who, for his name's sake, are laboring to convert 
souls. Has their labor for us been in vain 1 Have we yet been caught 
in the Gospel net — willing captives? The poor fish, indeed, finds 
death in the net, but we find life in it. Well may the fish struggle 
and strive to escape ; but it would be in us the height of folly ; for the 
day in which a perishing sinner is caught in the heavenly net, is the 
first happy day of his existence ; even the tears of the penitent are 
sweeter than the laughter of the world. 

Evening Scripture portion. Judges VI. The calling of Gideon. 



Luke' V. 1-11. — The miraculous draught of fishes 

As these disciples had toiled all night and had taken nothing, it is 
probable they were in distress for food when Jesus bid them launch 
into the deep. Was it only to supply their temporal wants that He 
caused them to enclose so large a multitude of fishes ? No ; for 
though he delighted in relieving their bodies, he delighted more in 
helping their souls. By this wonderful draught he taught them many 
great truths : he taught them something of the greatness of his power ; 



FEB. 19.] THE MIRACULOUS DRAUGHT OF FISHES. 103 

lie taught them something of the blessedness of obedience. Peter had 
said, " At thy word I will let down the net." How richly was his 
obedience rewarded ! The apostles were to become fishers of men. 
Who could enable them to catch men, that is, to convert souls ? None 
but Jesus. Though ministers preach — till God pour down his Spirit, 
no souls are converted ; yet ministers, like Peter, should be obedient, 
and continue patiently to let down the net of the Gospel. And should 
ministers only act thus ? All Christians ought to exhort each other 
daily, and their common conversation should minister grace to the 
hearers. We ought to distribute tracts and Bibles, to teach children, 
to contribute our property to the support jof missionaries, and to do 
whatever we can to benefit the souls of our fellow-creatures ; yet our 
exertions will be vain, unless God add his blessing. Let us then en- 
treat God to put forth his great power and to prosper the feeble efforts 
which we make in obedience to his command. 

The remembrance of this miracle should encourage us ; and still 
more the remembrance of the sermon Peter afterwards preached, re- 
corded in Acts ii., when three thousand were converted. Probably 
there were not three thousand fishes in the net. Lately God has done 
wonders in America, and in India, and in the islands of the South 
Seas ; thousands have been converted. We must pray for the out- 
pouring of the Spirit, and then sinners will be awakened, and will cry 
out earnestly, " What shall we do to be saved ?'.' 

What do you think of Peter's prayer after the miracle ? " Depart 
from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." It was a good prayer, and 
yet it was a mistaken prayer. It was a good prayer, because it con- 
tained confession of sin. Peter was overwhelmed with a sense of his 
unworthiness ; (that is the right spirit in which to make a prayer ;) his 
heart was broken and contrite. 

Perhaps he had indulged unbelieving, murmuring thoughts when 
toiling all night without success, and now he was overcome by the 
mercies of the Lord. This is true repentance — when we are grieved 
the more for our sins, on account of the Lord's goodness to us. 
Would not a person feel cut to the heart who had been suspecting 
another, and speaking against him ; if suddenly he discovered that the 
man whom he counted an enemy had labored to serve him, and con- 
trived schemes for his good. The discovery would fill him with com- 
punction ; he never could forgive himself for his ungenerous suspi- 
cions. Thus, " The goodness of God leadeth us to repentance." It 
leads us to feel our unworthiness and ingratitude. 

But why did Peter desire so gracious a Lord to depart from him ? 
Jesus knew the spirit in which he made this prayer, and he would not 
take him at his word. Though Peter said, " Depart from me," Jesus 
knew he sincerely loved him. 

When the wicked say to God. " Depart from me, for I desire not 
the knowledge of thy ways," He often takes them at theii word; 
but He does not deal thus with the trembling penitent, but receives 



104 CHRIST CASTS OUT A DEVIL [FEB. 20. 

him in his arms, and bids him abide with him forever. " Fear not," 
answers the blessed Saviour, "from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 1 ' 
Instead of departing from Peter, the Lord never suffered Peter to de- 
part from him. 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Acts II. 32d to the end. Conversion of three thousand souls. 



Mark I. 21-28. — Christ casts out a devil in the synagogue. 

Though the Lord was continually working miracles, yet the miracle 
here related seems to have caused unusual wonder. And it might well 
do so, for in it Christ's power over the devil was displayed. One of 
the most mysterious subjects in the Bible is the manner in which 
devils possessed men in former times. It is so mysterious, that some 
have chosen not to believe it ; but if we were to believe nothing that 
we could not clearly understand, how little we should believe ! We 
should not believe in our own existence, for we cannot tell how we 
live, or what life is ; yet we know that we do live. It is very reason- 
able to suppose, that when Jesus came to destroy the works of the 
devil, that wicked spirit should make great efforts to resist him. 
Some have thought that the persons possessed with devils were in a 
state of madness ; but we find that the mad or lunatic are mentioned 
by St. Matthew, separately from those possessed with devils ; there- 
fore madness is a different calamity from being possessed of devils. 
(Matt. iv. 24.) 

It is true that Satan even now enters into men's hearts, to fill them 
with wickedness ; but it was not in this way that he had entered into 
the man in the synagogue ; for had this man been filled with Satan, as 
Judas afterwards was, Jesus would have spoken to him as to a wicked 
man ; but He did not rebuke the man, He only rebuked the devil. 

The evil spirit had permitted the man to go to the synagogue. 
Had he known whom he would meet there, surely he w r ould not have 
suffered him to go ; for he seemed full of fear when he saw 7 Christ. 
He cried out, " Let us alone ; what have we to do with thee, thou 
Jesus of Nazareth ? Art thou come to destroy us ?" We know that 
devils believe and tremble. They cannot feel hope, but they can feel fear. 
They have no hope of growing happy, but they have a fear of becom- 
ing more miserable. Nor do they fear without cause ; for their 
continual wickedness must render them more and more miserable 
throughout the ages of eternity, and must bring down upon them 
larger measures of God's wrath. 

Even the praises of devils are abominable to Christ. When the 
evil spirit said, " I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God," 



FEB. 20. J IN THE SYNAGOGUE. 105 

Jesus replied, " Hold thy peace." He cannot bear the piaises of those 
who hate. him. 

Let none think that while engaged in the service of Satan, the Lord 
accepts their praises. Though they may join in the responses at 
church, and say, " Thou art the king of glory, O Christ ;" or repeat daily 
upon their knees, " Hallowed be thy name," yet while they are living in 
sin, their services are displeasing to God. He is ready to silence their 
tongues with " Hold thy peace." To the wicked, God saith, " What 
hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my 
covenant in thy mouth, seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my 
words behind thee ?" (Ps. 1. 16, 17.) Such, is the awful condition of 
the children of the devil — of the unconverted, even now. What will 
it be hereafter ? Judge what it will be from the malice the devils dis- 
played towards this poor man. When commanded to come out of 
him, the devil first tore him, and (as St. Luke informs us) "threw him 
in the midst." Though obliged to obey the Lord of all, with what 
reluctance he quitted his victim ! He made him feel his malice before 
he left him. 

It is to the malice of such devils that the wicked are to be forever 
given up. These are to be their companions through eternity ; no 
Saviour's voice will penetrate the gates of hell to bid the raging fiends 
cease from tormenting. Let us consider the horrors of the future, and 
remember that these spirits now fill the air, and that Satan is called, 
" the prince of the power of the air." (Eph. li. 2.) This prince seeks 
now to deceive the soul, in order that it may be cast into hell hereafter. 
There will be no escape for us, if not washed in the blood of Christ, 
and sanctified by his Spirit. What do we know of pardon and holi- 
ness ? Have we obtained these precious gifts from Christ ? He died 
that we might obtain them. Are there any of us, of whom it may be 
said, that " they are taken captive by the devil at his will ?" Jesus can 
command the devil to let us go, and he will do so, if we implore his 
help. But the devil will not let go his captives, unless he is compel- 
led ; he diligently watches over them, lest they should believe and be 
saved, accompanies them to church and follows them home. Yes, he 
follows them close, for he has a numerous train of servants at his com- 
mand. But there is a place where he cannot come ; the shadow of 
the Almighty's wings. O enter into the secret place of the Most High, 
and there you shall be safe ; for He shall cover thee with his feathers, 
and under his wings shalt thou trust ; the young lion and the dragon 
shalt thou trample under foot. (Ps. xci.) 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Ps. L. God's rejection of the services of the wicked. 

14 



106 THE SCENE AT SUNSET AND SUNRISE. [feb. 21. 



Mark I. 29-39. — The scene at sunset and sunrise 

It is oar privilege to possess an account of the chief events of one 
whole day that our Saviour passed upon earth. It was a Sabbath-day. 
In what labors of love was that Sabbath spent ! In the morning Jesus 
was at the synagogue, where he cast out a devil. After the service 
he returned to Simon Peter's house, which was in the city of Caper- 
naum. There he healed Peter's wife's mother of a fever. How much 
tenderness there was in the manner in which the miracle w T as per 
formed : " He took her by the hand and lifted her up." At his touch 
the fever fled, and strength returned. After a fever, a person is always 
exceedingly weak ; but this woman arose, and waited upon her de 
liverer. How gladly must she have waited on him by whom she had 
been restored ! Has Jesus done nothing for us ? Has he never 
healed us when we were sick ? Are we anxious to serve him ? 

When the sun was set, the Sabbath was ended; for the Jewish Sab- 
bath began on Friday evening, and ended on Saturday evening. Then 
numbers flocked to Jesus, and he healed them all. This was a painful 
and laborious service. Could Jesus behold unmoved the diseased 
creatures that were brought to him ? Could he hear the ravings of 
those possessed with devils, and the cries of those in pain, without 
anguish of spirit 1 Impossible ; for his heart was full of compassion. 
Some persons turn away from the view of misery, because it gives 
them uneasiness ; but such conduct is selfish. Our blessed Saviour 
felt far more at the sight of suffering than we can feel ; yet he was 
willing to bear the pangs of sympathy. In this self-denying compas- 
sionate behavior, he fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy. " Surely he hath 
borne our griefs and carried our sorrows," (Is. lvi. 3 ;) or as St. 
Matthew expresses it, " Himself took our infirmities, and bare our 
sicknesses." — (Matt. viii. 17.) He did this, not only by partaking of 
them, but by relieving them. He left us an example that we should 
follow his steps. We are not to give ourselves up to selfish enjoyment, 
while our fellow-creatures are groaning. No ; we are to lay ourselves 
out for their good ; to visit the sick, to give them food and medicine, 
and kind words of sympathy, and to be ready, if needful, to nurse them. 
Thus shall we follow Christ, who bare our sicknesses. 

The Lord Jesus rested when his day of labor was over, but he rose 
a long while before the dawn to pray. He thirsted for communion 
with his Father. We always find time to do those things in which we 
much delight. Those who say they have no time to pray, show that 
they do not love to pray. A Christian finds prayer as necessary for 
his soul, as food for his body. 

The Saviour's retirement was interrupted by his disciples, (and by 
the people of the city, as St. Luke tells us,) who said, " All men seek 
thee." Was this addressed to him who was despised and rejected of 
men ? But how few of those who sought him truly loved him ! Thus 



FEB. 22.] THE CURE OF THE LEPER. ]07 

it is now. Multitudes will flock to hear an earnest, interesting preach- 
er ; but only a few receive into their hearts the blessed Gospel he pro 
claims. 

Jesus, however, could not stay in Capernaum ; and he said, " Let 
us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also ; for therefore 
came I forth." He ever remembered the purpose for which he came 
into the world: not his own pleasure, but the glory of God in the sal- 
vation of sinners. For what purpose were we sent into the world ? 
Our own amusement? O no; yet many live as if they were born 
merely to live in pleasure, and then to die like the beasts. We were 
born that God might be glorified by us and in us. A young lady was 
once converted by meditating on the first answer in the Assembly's 
Catechism. The first question is, " What is the chief end of man ?" 
The answer, " To glorify God, and enjoy him forever." She felt that 
she was not fulfilling this end while spending her time in vain and 
worldly pleasures. By the grace of God she gave them up, and be- 
came an eminent Christian. 

Evening Scripture portion. Job XXIX. Deeds of mercy. 



Matt. IV. 23-25. Mark I. 40-45.— The cure of the leper and of 
multitudes with divers diseases and torments. 

How full of labors of love was our Saviour's life below ! His prin- 
cipal object was to preach the Gospel, but he confirmed his word by 
various cures. These bodily cures represented the spiritual blessings he 
came to bestow. As he healed all manner of diseases without any ex- 
ception, so he could forgive all manner of. sins ; for his blood cleanseth 
from all sin. No disease was too bad for him to cure, no devil too 
strong for him to cast out ; neither was any sin, if repented of, too 
great for him to forgive. He declared, " All manner of sin and blas- 
phemy shall be forgiven unto men." 

We cannot wonder that crowds followed Him, when He bestowed 
such abundant temporal benefits. We know how men value the health 
of the body. But Jesus was far more anxious to save the souls than 
to heal the bodies of men, and therefore he sought for opportunities to 
preach his holy word. Probably one reason for his charging the leper not 
to mention the means of his recovery was, that he foresaw that if the 
miracle were made known, a still greater throng of diseased persons 
would be collected, and that by this means his preaching would be in- 
terrupted. Disease of body must have appeared to him very light, 
compared to that disease of the soul which leads to destruction. We 
judge of diseases by their end, and not by their beginning. If we 
have seen a man die in torments from any disease, when we see the be- 



108 THE CURE OF THE LEPER. [fee. 22. 

ginning of that disease in another we are filled with horror. Jesus 
had seen souls tormented in burning flames, and he knew that sin was 
the beginning of hell. 

Of all diseases none represents sin in a more striking manner than 
the leprosy. In the first place the leprosy was a polluting disease. It 
rendered a man unfit to enter the temple, or even to associate with his 
fellows ; as by God's law any one who touched him became unclean. 
Thus sin unfits man from entering heaven, and for the society of 
spotless saints and angels. 

The leprosy was also a spreading disorder. It covered a man with 
white scales from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot. Thus sin 
has defiled all our powers. It has disordered our affections, blinded 
our understandings, hardened our consciences, and perverted our wills. 

The leprosy was a painful disease. The hands and feet of the poor 
leper are often eaten away, and in this crippled state he drags out a mis- 
erable existence. But what disease is as painful as sin — the swellings oi 
pride, the tumults of passion, the anxieties of covetousness, the gnaw- 
ings of envy, the gloom of unbelief? Some have been induced to 
pray for a new heart, not from fear of the wrath to come, but on ac- 
count of the present misery of their unconverted state. 

The leprosy also was incurable. When the king of Syria in former 
times asked the king of Israel to cure Naaman his captain, the terrified 
monarch rent his clothes, saying, "Am I God, to kill and make alive, 
that this man doth send unto me to cure a man of his leprosy?" (2 
Kings v. 7.) Sin also is incurable by man. None can forgive sins but 
God alone ; none can overcome sins but God alone. Tears cannot 
wash out our past sins, nor can good resolutions keep us from com- 
mitting them in time to come. 

Having then a leprosy in our souls, let us imitate the poor leper of 
whom we read. Behold him falling at the feet of Jesus, beseeching 
his help. Are our prayers earnest like his ? or do we ask for eternal 
blessings with less earnestness than a beggar asks for an alms ? 

The leper's prayer is remarkable : "If thou wilt thou canst make 
me clean." He doubted, not the power of Jesus, but his mercy. Yet 
his mercy is as great as his power. It is true that by his power he 
stretched out the heavens, and laid the foundation of the earth. But it 
is also true that, " High as the heaven is above the earth, so great is 
his mercy towards them that fear him." Had this leper known the 
compassion of the Saviour's heart, he would not have said, "If thou 
wilt !" 

Observe how tenderly Jesus felt for him : " Moved with compassion, 
he put forth his hand and touched him." He showed his condescen- 
sion by touching the loathsome leper, from whom all others fled. Thus 
he encourages polluted sinners to approach him. He will not repel 
them, and say, " Stand by thyself, for I am holier than thou ;" He in- 
vites them to come near, and he offers by his holy touch to heal them. 
Fear not, penitent sinner ; stay not till you are better ; believe that Je- 






FEB. 23.] THE PARALYTIC LET DOWN. 109 

sus will welcome you as you are. His blood is a fountain for sin and 
uncleanness ; he himself stands by to wash you in it. Come to him 
to be healed ; your cure shall be 'perfect ; all your sins shall be for- 
given and cast into the depths of the sea, and you shall be restored to 
the favor of God, and admitted into the heavenly Jerusalem. 

Evening Scripture portion. II. Kings V. Naaman. 



Luke V. 16-26. — The paralytic let down through the house-top. 

The Lord Jesus, being prevented for a time from entering the towns 
by the immense crowds that collected wherever he came, retired into the 
wilderness. How blessed was the use which he made of his retirement ! 
He gave himself unto prayer. And shall we venture to live without 
prayer — without much prayer — without fervent prayer ! How can we 
nope for any peace of mind without prayer to the God of peace ? 

Soon, however, our Saviour came into the towns again. It was in 
Capernaum that he healed the man sick of the palsy. He was then 
preaching in a house, and many of the wise and great were present, 
watching maliciously his words and actions. 

It was on this occasion that four men, bearing a poor paralytic, un- 
able to get in at the door, ascended to the top of the house, (probably 
by some stairs outside,) and let down their sick friend through the 
roof. Great surprise must have been felt by the crowd below when 
the bed descended in the midst. Our Saviour was not annoyed by the 
interruption ; he was always ready to help the afflicted, and rejoiced at 
beholding any proof of faith in his power. In this instance he seems 
to have perceived some spiritual desire in the man ; for, instead of 
healing him immediately, he said, " Thy sins be forgiven thee ;" and, 
as St. Matthew relates, he said also, " So?i, be of good cheer ;" as if he 
regarded him with especial tenderness, as a son, who mourned more for 
his sins than for his sufferings. This man was surely one of the bro- 
ken-hearted ones that Jesus came to bind up. 

But what do you think of the conduct of the friends of the para- 
lytic ? If they had not been very anxious about the recovery of the 
sufferer, they would have retired when they saw the crowd around the 
door; but they had set their hearts upon bringing him to Jesus, and 
they were ingenious in finding out a way. If we are as anxious to 
obtain spiritual blessings, as they were to benefit the sick man, we shall 
be ingenious too. We shall find time in almost any circumstances for 
prayer, and for reading the Scriptures. Some pious prisoners were 
once confined in a dark dungeon, and only had light allowed for a few 
minutes at meal-time. How could they read the Bible ? They used 
the light to read it, and they ate in the dark. What holy ingenuity 



110 THE POOL OF BETHESDA. [FEB. 24. 

they displayed ! There are others who have used a like ingenuity in 
contriving means to bring sinners to Jesus. The last day will reveal 
how abundantly their pious plans have been blessed. 

Jesus knew that his power to forgive sins was doubted by the ene- 
mies who surrounded him; therefore he inquired which was easier, to 
forgive sins, or to heal the man. He knew which they thought the 
easier — to forgive sins. Mistaken idea ! It was so hard, that Jesus shed 
his blood, that he might procure this forgiveness. Little did his ene- 
mies know what it would cost him to be able to say, " Thy sins be for- 
given thee." 

The pardon He bestows is valued only by those who groan beneath 
the burden of sin. The great reformer, Martin Luther, soon after he 
had become a monk, fell dangerously ill. Though he had long sought 
for pardon, he was filled with terror at the prospect of eternity. It 
was then that an aged monk visited his cell, and reminded him of those 
words in the creed, " I believe in the forgiveness of sins." — " Believe," 
said the old man, " not only that the sins of David or Peter are forgiv- 
en, but that your own are pardoned." These words were a balm to 
Luther's wounded heart. He thought no more of gaining heaven by 
his own righteousness, but looked with confidence to the mercy of God 
in Christ. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. XXXII. Forgiveness of sins. 



John V. 1-9. — The miracle at the pool of Bethesda. 

Can we hear of this pool without being reminded of that fountain 
for sin which Jesus has provided in his Gospel ? This pool was called 
Bethesda, which signifies " House of mercy." And has not Jesus 
opened a house of mercy in his Word ? The poor sick people who 
sat near the water's side represent diseased souls, such as we all have 
by nature ; only our souls are far more diseased than their bodies were : 
for some of them were blind, and others halt, and others withered, but 
our souls are diseased in all their powers. Neither had they all been 
afflicted many years. Even the man who had been thirty-eight years 
sick had not been sick from his birth : but our souls have been dis- 
eased by sin ever since we were born. 

The pool of Bethesda is not an exact image of salvation : for only 
the first that stepped in it was cured. But what would become of 
sinners, if Christ's salvation were thus straitened ? Blessed be God, 
the fountain of Christ's blood is opened to all sinners unto the end of 
the world. How much selfishness must have been displayed at the 
borders of this pool ! how each man must have viewed his neighbor 
with an evil eye, fearing lest by another stepping in before him he 



FEB. 25.] THE RESTORED PARALYTIC. Ill 

should himself be deprived of a cure ! How differently ought we to 
view our fellow-sinners ! Their salvation will not hinder ours. 

Yet in one respect, we ought to imitate the sick people around the 
pool, — in their earnestness. As they knew the first only would be 
cured, how patiently they watched around the pool, how eagerly they 
rushed in after the troubling of the water ! We ought to seek God as 
earnestly as if only one could obtain salvation ; then not one should 
fail to obtain it. 

It appears that Jesus was not known by these sick people. Had 
they known the great Physician was so near, what a cry would have 
been raised from a multitude of suffering lips ! Jesus approached one 
of these pitiable objects. It was one who had been very long afflicted, 
who had been anxiously seeking a cure, and who had no friend to help 
him into the pool. Some person indeed had brought him to the edge 
of the pool ; but not one had watched by him to plunge him in at the 
critical moment. 

Jesus knew his desolate condition, and the bitter disappointments 
he had suffered. He selected him as a fit object on whom to display 
his power and mercy. The poor paralytic was not accustomed to the 
voice of kindness. It must have refreshed his weary spirit to hear 
Jesus inquire, " Wilt thou be made whole ?" Immediately he began 
to pour out his complaints into the ear of the compassionate stranger, 
hoping perhaps that he should obtain his help the next time the water 
was troubled. But there was richer mercy in store for him, than any 
man or angel could bestow ; for by a word, Jesus restored him sud- 
denly, and perfectly. 

That Saviour knows the circumstances of all his creatures now scat- 
tered over the world ; and we know that he pities those who have no 
friends to teach them the way of salvation, especially when they them- 
selves are concerned about their own souls. He may let them remain 
for a time in distress and perplexity ; but He will not let them perish in 
their ignorance. 

Evening Scripture portion. Lev. XIII. Fountain of sin. 



. John V. 10-16. — Christ's interview with the restored paralytic. 

We have in this history an instance of the bitter hatred of men to 
the truth. Why did the Jews accuse Jesus of having broken the Sab- 
bath ? Was it because they reverenced that day ? By no means. 
We may judge of their respect for the Sabbath by their regard for the 
temple ; and we know that they made it a den of thieves, and filled it 
with sheep, and oxen, and money-changers. They did not care in 



112 THE RESTORED PARALYTIC. [FEB. 25. 

their hearts for the service of God. And had Jesus caused the par- 
alytic to break the Sabbath ? No ; for though God had forbidden men 
to bear burdens on the Sabbath-days, He never intended that a sick 
man suddenly healed should not carry home his bed. 

The reason the Jews objected to the action was, that they suspected 
who had cured the paralytic ; and they were offended with the rebukes 
that Jesus had often given them in his sermons, and in his conversation. 
Holy men are generally watched in this way. Why have faithful 
preachers in later days been insulted ? Because they interfere with 
the vices of men. 

The restored cripple was unable to gratify the malice of the Jews, 
by informing them of the name of his deliverer. He knew it not. 
Must he not have longed to discover it ? Soon Jesus afforded him the 
opportunity. He found him in the temple. We are glad to hear that 
the poor man went there. For thirty-eight years he had been unable 
to tread God's courts, and perhaps before that period he may have 
been unwilling ; for, from the words of the Lord addressed to him, we 
have reason to fear he had been an ungodly youth. 

This was the warning he received. " Behold thou art made whole , 
sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon thee." It appears that his 
affliction had been sent as a punishment for early sins. All afflictions 
are not sent as punishments. Those of Job were trials of his faith. 
But they are often sent to those who know not God, that they may re- 
member their sins and turn from them. 

It was a heavy chastening that the paralytic had endured — an illness 
of thirty-eight years. At length he was delivered. What, if he should 
return to sin ! how many have acted thus ! — After vows and tears they 
have risen from their sick beds, to requite their God with black in- 
gratitude. What must be the consequence of such conduct ? — a worse 
thing will come upon them. Is there any thing worse than a palsy of 
thirty-eight years' continuance ? Let the lost spirits speak, who have 
spent but one hour in the flames of hell. How gladly would they ex- 
change their place for the most suffering bed to be found on earth ! 

He who gave this warning was soon to taste the punishment of sin 
himself, and to know by experience that worse thing of which he spoke. 
In two or three short years Jesus would be extended on a cross, and 
nailed there for our sins, and would bear the weight of God's infinite 
wrath. By the blood he then shed, he is able to save us from eternal 
wo. But those who go on in sin shall taste something worse than any 
thing they have known on earth. 

Are there any here who still love sin ? Remember these words : 
" Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon thee." It is Jesus who 
utters them; He who has delivered sinners by his own death; He, 
even He, entreats them not to continue in sin. 

Evening Scripture portion. Amos IV. Warnings against sin. 



FEB. 26.] CHRIST'S DEFENCE OF HIMSELF. 113 



John V. 17-30. — Christ 1 s defence of himself before the Sanhedrim. 

This is part of our Lord's defence of himself against the Jews. 
We know not in what place he made this defence. Some think he 
made it before the great council of seventy persons, called the Sanhe- 
drim ; and others think He made it in the temple. But all must allow 
that he made it publicly to the great and learned Jews, who were his 
deadly enemies, and who even then sought to kill him. They wanted 
to find an accusation against him, and the accusation they now made 
was that of Sabbath-breaking. The first sentence our Saviour uttered 
in his defence is difficult to understand. 

Ver. 17. " My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." 

What works did his Father work ? He had made the world in six 
days, and had then rested. He had rested from creating, but not from 
preserving. God preserveth man and beast continually. He is work- 
ing in this manner on every side continually. Were he to cease from 
this work on the Sabbath-day, or on any other day, all creatures would 
sink into death ; for it is God that preserves even the angels of heaven 
from death every moment. It is in Him we live, and move, and have 
our being. Jesus, in curing the paralytic, had done a work of this 
kind : he had renewed his life by imparting new strength to him. 
Thus the Jews were accusing him of sin for doing works which the 
Father was always doing, and which he also was always doing ; for 
his Father and he were joined together in every work. Jesus, as well 
as the Father, had created the world, and he, as well as the Father, 
upheld all things by the word of his power ; therefore he said, " My 
Father worketh hitherto, and I work." And why are the Father and 
the Son always thus united in their works ? Because they are one 
God : Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one God. 

The defence Jesus made of his work only brought fresh matter of 
accusation against him ; because he had called God his. Father, and 
thus had made himself equal with God. Now they not only accused 
him of breaking the Sabbath, but of the greater crime of blasphemy. 
And how did Jesus defend himself from the charge? Not by deny- 
ing that He had said that He was equal with God, but by speaking 
of those great works which He would do, and which would show who 
He was. Those great works are to give life, and to execute judg- 
ment. Who could do such works but God himself! Even at the 
moment Jesus was speaking, He was able to give spiritual life to dead 
souls ; for he said, (verse 25,) " The hour is coming, and now is, when 
the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear 
shall live." He has been doing this work ever since that hour. We 
do not see the dead souls arise, but Jesus does. He knows when he 
quickens a sinner who was dead in trespasses and sins. A time is 
approaching when his power will be publicly displayed as the Life, 
and as the Judge of the world, (verse 28.) " The hour is coming, in 

15 



J 14 CHRIST'S DEFENCE OF HIMSELF. [fee. 27. 

the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come 
forth : they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they 
that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation." 

This is an awful declaration. It once awakened an aged sinner 
from the sleep of death. He went to the church where the Rev. Jo- 
seph Milner preached, and heard this passage given out as the text. 
He heard no more, for the words took possession of his mind, and 
filled him with anguish. He sought the Lord, obtained forgiveness, 
and became as eminent for holiness as he had before been for iniquity. 
God alone knows all the conquests of his own word. Verses of Scrip- 
ture which are heard by many with indifference, have, through the 
power of the Holy Spirit, given life to souls now rejoicing in the pres- 
ence of God. 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts XII. 16 to end. The Judgment day. 



John V. 31-39. — The defence continued. 

It is supposed that Jesus at this time was standing in the presence 
of the great council of the Jews, called the Sanhedrim. He had been 
accused of having healed the paralytic on the Sabbath-day ; and then 
of having made himself equal with God. Did he deny either charge ? 
By no means ; but he more fully declared his own glory as the Son 
of God. He brought forth his witnesses. His first, a great witness, 
was his Father who sent him. (See ver. 32.) " There is another that 
beareth witness of me." 

Yet He condescended to appeal to a human witness also, even to 
John the Baptist. He said, " Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness 
unto the truth." You have not forgotten what is recorded in John i. 
19-23. " The Jews (that is, the chief men) sent priests and Levites 
from Jerusalem to ask John, Who art thou ?" They came to him in 
the wilderness where he was preaching ; and he took that opportunity 
of bearing witness to Jesus. He said, " There standeth one among 
you whom ye know not ; he it is who coming after me is preferred 
before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose." (Ver. 
26, 27.) 

How could the Jews resist this testimony ? For a season they had 
rejoiced in his light ; that is, for a time they had admired his preach- 
ing ; yet they would not believe. John had now ceased to preach, for 
he was shut up in prison. 

Jesus next described the different ways in which his Father wit- 
nessed to him. There were three ways : First, By enabling him to 
do miracles, such as healing the poor paralytic : those were " the 



FEB. 27] CHRIST'S DEFENCE OF HIMSELF. 115 

works which his Father had given him to finish," mentioned in 
verse 42. 

Secondly, (see verse 37.) His Father himself had borne witness 
of him, by speaking from heaven at his baptism, saying, " This is my 
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Such a voice had never 
been heard at any time before, witnessing for the old prophets, nor 
had such a display of glory been seen. It was the excellent glory, as 
St. Peter calls the brightness of the Father. (2 Peter i. 17.) 

Thirdly, The Father had borne witness to his Son, in the Scrip- 
tures, that is, in the prophecies. Jesus bade the Jews search the 
Scriptures ; saying, " They are they which testify of me." (See 
ver. 39.) 

Had not the Jews of old sufficient proofs that Jesus was the Son 
of God ? And we also have abundant evidence of this important truth. 

We have not heard John the Baptist preach, that burning and shi- 
ning light, but we have heard other preachers speak of Christ with 
devoted affection. 

We have seen no miracles wrought, no blind eyes nor lame feet 
restored ; but we have seen greater works than these. We have seen 
miracles done upon the soul. Have we never known a person, who 
lived a wicked life, changed by the power of the Gospel into a holy 
creature? Is it not far more wonderful to see a man's mind changed 
than his body? None can make such a change but God. " Can the 
Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots ? then can they 
who are accustomed to do evil learn to do good." Had we seen a 
black man changed into a white man, we should not have seen so 
great a wonder as if we had seen a child of the devil changed into a 
child of God. 

We have another witness — the Old Testament Scripture. It is 
filled with prophecies concerning Christ. Have you read them ? See 
how Isaiah declares, that he shall be brought like a lamb to the slaugh- 
ter : how Zechariah says he shall ride on an ass, and be sold for thirty 
pieces of silver : how Micah foretells, he shall be born in Bethlehem ; 
and how David in the Psalms predicts, that vinegar shall be given to 
him in his thirst, that his garments shall be parted, and his hands and 
feet pierced. The Jews, though they will not believe in Jesus, re- 
gard these prophecies as the word of God, and have kept them sacred 
for many ages. How can we disbelieve such proofs ? And if Jesus 
be the Son of God indeed, and in truth, let us consider whether we are 
prepared to stand before his judgment-seat ? Have we believed in 
him with our hearts ? 

Evening Scripture portion. Heb. I. The Divinity of Christ. 



116 CHRIST'S DEFENCE OF HIMSELF. [feb. 28. 



John V. 40 to end. — The defence concluded. 

Thus ended the Saviour's defence of himself before the chief Jews. 
These last verses we may call the application of the sermon. How 
forcibly could He speak to the conscience, who is himself like a two- 
edged sword, piercing to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, and 
of the joints and marrow ! (Heb. iv.) He knew that those to whom 
he spoke would not come unto Him. "Ye will not come unto me, 
that ye might have life." And He knew why they would not. It was 
because they had not the love of God in their hearts. He said, (ver. 
42,) " I know you that ye have not the love of God in you." As Je- 
sus was one with the Father, if men did not love God, they could not 
love Him. He was not such a Saviour as they liked ; he cared not 
for the pomps and vanities of the world, and he did not promise them 
as rewards to his followers : therefore men did not desire him for their 
Saviour. 

It is very important for us to consider this subject, because the same 
reasons cause men now to despise Christ. Why are they so careless 
about religion ? Why do they treat the Bible as if it were not true ? 
Is it because there is not proof enough ? No ; but because Jesus is 
too holy to suit the taste of sinners. 

If we were to visit heathen countries we should find the people de- 
voted to their idols : as the Scripture says, " mad upon their idols." 
(Jer. 1. 38.) You have heard of the car of Juggernaut, in India. When 
it came forth, with what transports of joy it was viewed ! Thousands 
travelled over sultry plains to attend it on its way ; hundreds pressed 
forward to drag it along ; some even threw themselves beneath its 
wheels, ready to be crushed in honor of the frightful idol that sat en- 
throned upon the ponderous machine. Why are people so fervent in 
the worship of idols ? Because they imagine that these idols will in- 
dulge them in sin. The Roman Catholics show the same zeal in their 
religion of forms and ceremonies. They are ready to spend their mon- 
ey in decking images with flowers, and in illuminating the pictures of 
saints with candles. Men are willing to do any thing to please God, but 
to give up their sins. 

And why is it that they have no taste for a holy and spiritual Sa- 
viour ? Because they have a taste for the world. W"hy is it they do not 
love God ? Because they love the world. Jesus pointed out this rea- 
son to his enemies. He said, " How can ye believe, which receive 
honor one of another ?" They cared for the opinion of their fellow- 
men ; therefore they would not come to a despised Saviour. 

But, O how foolish were they to prefer the honor that mortal man 
could give, above the honor that the everlasting God could bestow ! 
What shame will overwhelm them at the last day, when even Moses, 
the prophet in whom they professed to trust, will disown them ! Had 



FEB. 29.] CHRIST DEFENDS HIS DISCIPLES. 117 

they believed his writings they would have believed the Saviour's 
words; for Moses had plainly declared, in Deuteronomy xviii., that God 
would raise up a prophet like himself to be the teacher of the Jews ; 
and such a prophet was Christ. When they shall see the Lord appear 
in all his glory surrounded by his saints, and among them Moses and 
all the prophets, they will feel ashamed of their treatment of that bles- 
sed Saviour. Would ive enjoy true honor hereafter, we must now 
faithfully cleave to His despised name, and to His despised people. 
We must not inquire, " What will the world think of me, if I follow 
this command of the Lord Jesus ?" but we must only ask, "Will God 
approve my conduct ?" 

Evening Scripture portion. Deut. XVIII. The prophet like unto Moses. 



Matt. XII. 1-8. — Christ defends his disciples when falsely charged 
with the breach of the Sabbath. 

The Pharisees were so much inflamed against Christ, that now he 
was in Jerusalem they sought eagerly to find some accusation against 
him, or his disciples. They particularly watched them on the Sabbath 
day ; and now they thought they had caught them in a fault, because 
they observed them plucking ears of corn, and rubbing them in their 
hands, (as St. Luke informs us,) and eating, as they passed through 
some fields on their way to the synagogue. 

It was particularly mentioned in the law of Moses, that men might 
pluck either corn or grapes as they went through fields or vineyards, 
and eat them while they were passing along, though they might not 
carry any away. Surely the Pharisees could not really have thought 
it was wrong in the disciples to satisfy their hunger; but there is 
nothing so foolish that malice will not say against the object of its 
hatred. What trifling and absurd accusations have been brought at 
all times against the people of God ! It is a great trial to the 
followers of Christ to know that they are the subjects of criticism, 
and the butt of slander. Some are deterred from professing to be 
religious, by the fear that their conduct w T ill then be canvassed, and 
that they shall be blamed even when innocent. But why should this 
prospect alarm them 1 The reproaches aimed at them are intended 
for their Master. Is it not an honor to share in His shame ? O that 
our enemies could never find greater cause to blame us than the 
Pharisees had on this occasion to blame Christ's disciples ! Then 
indeed should we shine forth as the sons of God, harmless and 
without rebuke. With what meekness the Lord Jesus defended his 
disciples ! he returned no railing accusation, but he mildly argued 



118 CHRIST DEFENDS HIS DISCIPLES. [feb. 29. 

with his enemies. His example ought to lead us, when unjustly 
attacked, neither to give an angry retort, nor to preserve a sullen 
silence, but to endeavor, in a gentle spirit, to convince our opponents 
by forcible arguments. 

These were the arguments Jesus offered. He said, " Have you 
not read what David did?" (1 Sam. xxi.) Have we not read what 
David did ? He once was fleeing from Saul, and was overtaken with 
hunger at Nob, where the tabernacle was then placed. In the 
tabernacle there was a table, on which twelve loaves, called shew- 
bread, were placed every Sabbath, and when removed, were eaten by 
the priests. Yet the priests gave David that holy bread, because they 
had no other to give him ; and they were right in doing so ; and even 
the Pharisees, when they had heard the history, had never blamed 
David for eating it. This was one of the Lord's arguments : if 
David might eat holy bread when he was hungry, might not the 
disciples pluck corn on a holy day, when they were hungry ? 

Another argument was this : the priests did much work on the 
Sabbath-day in the temple ; they killed animals, and kindled fires, 
though the people in general were forbidden to do these works on the 
Sabbath-day ; but the priests might do them when serving God in the 
temple. Jesus then declared himself to be greater than the temple ; 
for not only God dwelt in his body as in a temple, but he was God : 
therefore his disciples might perform any works while waiting upon 
him. How this declaration must have exasperated and maddened the 
Pharisees ! It teaches us, that on the Sabbath all works are lawful 
which are done in the service of Christ. We may use animals in his 
service, and to advance his kingdom. We may collect money for 
holy uses, or bestow it. We may write upon holy subjects, or dis- 
tribute holy books. All these acts are like the services of the priests 
in the temple ; they are done in honor of One greater than the temple. 

But Jesus added one argument more : he quoted a verse from the 
prophet Hosea, well known to the Pharisees in the letter, but not in 
the spirit — " I will have mercy, and not sacrifice." God gave the 
Sabbath as a mercy, and mercy must never be forgotten on that day, 
in order to pay sacrifice or outward service. The hungry must 
be fed and the sick nursed. God does not wish any creature to 
suffer on that day. Whatever is necessary for our health, or for the 
health of others, may be done on that day. St. Mark relates, that 
Jesus added, " The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the 
Sabbath." The Sabbath was given by God to man for the benefit 
of his soul and body. Of course the soul is to be the most con- 
sidered, because it is of the most worth. If any way of spending 
the Sabbath does good to our bodies, but hurts our souls, it is a cruel 
and not a merciful way. On the Monday morning we ought to 
observe whether we are more inclined to pray than before, for thus 
we may discover whether we have spent the Sabbath as its Lord would 
desire. 



MARCH l.J CHRIST HEALS THE WITHERED HAND. 1]9 

" The Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath-day." Jesus showed 
that he was Lord of the Sabbath, by afterwards changing the day 
from Saturday the seventh day, to Sunday the first day, because then 
he rose from the dead. We ought therefore upon that day to think 
much of our risen Lord. How many tears were dried, when angels 
first declared, " He is risen !" The joy then felt shall never pass 
away. Every returning Sabbath bids us rejoice again. It was on the 
Lord's day that the apostle John once heard a voice saying, " I am he 
that liveth and was dead." 

Evening Scripture portion. Hosea VI. Mercy and not sacrifice. 



Matt. XII. 9-13. — Christ heals the man with the withered hand. 

It was upon the way to the synagogue that the disciples had 
plucked the ears of corn ; for our Saviour did honor to the ordinances 
of public worship by attending them himself. He taught at the 
synagogue, (as St. Mark relates;) he sat among the readers, and 
expounded. His enemies were present ; for they observed the forms 
of religion, though they knew not its power. 

Jesus noticed among the congregation a man with a withered hand. 
He would not be restrained by the malice of his enemies from dis- 
playing his mercy. The Pharisees observed what he was going to 
do, and asked him whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath-day. 
Jesus answered their question by another ; for, in St. Mark's gospel, 
we find that He replied, " Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath-days, 
or to do evil ? To save life or to kill 7" Thus he showed that he 
read the wicked hearts of his enemies, and perceived their design of 
killing him. It was impossible for them to resist this appeal to their 
consciences ; they held their peace, as all the wicked shall do at the 
judgment-seat of Christ. " The mouths of them that speak lies shall 
be stopped;" (Ps. lxiii. 11.) "The wicked shall be silent in dark- 
ness." (1 Sam. ii. 9.) Jesus regarded this poor man as a sheep 
fallen into a pit of affliction. He had looked upon all mankind as 
such a sheep, and had come down to redeem their precious souls 
from death. With what compassion he viewed his poor sheep, 
" plunged in a gulf of dark despair," whence it never could extricate 
itself? 

St. Mark describes our Saviour's feelings towards his enemies on 
this occasion. 6 ' He looked round about him with anger, being grieved 
for the hardness of their hearts." Well might it grieve him to behold 
sinners endeavoring to hinder the healing of a poor sufferer, only be- 
cause the Saviour's glory would shine forth the more brightly on that 
account? What an awful instance of hardness of heart! But are 



120 ISAIAH'S DESCRIPTION OF THE SAVIOUR. [MARCH 2. 

there not some in these days who commit similar sins, by opposing 
the preaching of the Gospel, which can alone restore a withered soul ? 
Does not Jesus view such persons now with anger and with grief? 

The manner in which he healed the poor man is weiy remarkable. 
He could have cured him by a word ; but he desired him to stretch 
forth his hand. Was not this a strange command ? It was the man's 
disease, that he could not stretch forth his hand. The man might have 
replied, " I have often endeavored to stretch forth my hand, and have 
not been able. Why should I try again ?" But he made no such un- 
believing answer; he confided in the power of Jesus, and his attempt 
was successful. The Lord in his Gospel commands us to do things 
that seem to be impossible. He says, " Repent and believe." We 
are sinners, and cannot repent and believe, except by a miracle of 
grace. Our hearts are hard — how can they repent and feel grieved 
because we have sinned against God ? Our minds are blind, how can 
we believe and see the glorious salvation of Christ ? Let us beware 
of saying, " We cannot repent and believe : we have often tried, and 
we have not been able." There is an awful history of one who rea- 
soned thus. It was Dr. Priestly. In his youth he discovered that he 
was not born again : at first he was greatly distressed at finding he 
could not repent and believe ; but instead of looking to the power of 
Christ to enable him, he listened to the devil, who suggested that there 
was no such thing as repentance, faith, or regeneration. He believed 
the lie ; he preached it ; and how did he die ? Comforting himself 
with the thought that there was no eternal punishment ; — another lie 
suggested by Satan. He said to a friend, " Reach down that book — 
(he did not mean the Bible — he did not desire to hear its precious prom- 
ises) — that book has greatly consoled me ; it has convinced me that 
we shall all come to heaven at last, whatever sufferings we may en- 
dure first." Thus he died, expecting to be cast into hell for a time, 
and then to be translated to heaven. But who could bear the thoughts of 
passing one day in the lake of fire, or even one hour ! Let us beware 
of the Jirst unbelieving thought, lest it should increase to more ungod- 
liness. Jesus commands, " Stretch forth thy hand : Repent — believe." 
If we have not repented or believed, let us make the effort now, con- 
fiding in his strength who gave the command. 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Thess. II. Believing a lie. 



Matt. XII. 14-21. — IsaiaJCs description of the gentle and compas- 
sionate Saviour. 

Though Jesus had silenced his enemies in the synagogue, he had 
not overcome the enmity of their hearts. Though they could not an- 



MARCH 2.] ISAIAH'S DESCRIPTION OF THE SAVIOUR. 121 

swer him, they could hate him. So great was their hatred, that when 
they left the synagogue, " they held a council against him how they 
might destroy him." . Without the grace of God, public worship can- 
not benefit the soul. From the church where the Saviour has been 
present to bless many of the congregation, we may retire only " to do 
evil with both hands, earnestly." 

Jesus retreated from his enemies to do good in another scene. He 
permits his followers to flee from persecution ; but he enjoins them, 
wherever they go, still to seek to serve God. 

Great multitudes followed Him into his retreat by the side of the 
lake, desiring to be healed of their diseases. Many people have won- 
dered why he desired those whom he healed not to make him known. 
It appears that one reason was, that he did not wish, by the report of 
his miracles, to increase the rage of his enemies, and thus to provoke 
them to acts of violence before his work was done, and his hour was 
come. Another reason was, that he did not desire to add to the throng 
who followed him, and who pressed upon him to a painful degree. 
Already the concourse was so immense, that he was obliged to escape 
from the crowd into a ship. People flocked from the most distant 
parts of the land, and even from heathen cities. We find it recorded 
in Mark iii. 8, that they came from Idumea, or Edom, and from Tyre 
and Sidon, the habitations of idolatrous nations. Jesus did not desire 
the praise of multitudes ; it gave him no pleasure to hear their shouts 
as he passed ; he delighted in the petitions of the poor trembling sin- 
ner, and in the love of those whose sins he had forgiven. Was not 
his gentle, retiring, compassionate character truly described by the 
prophet Isaiah in the passage beginning, " Behold my Servant, whom 
I uphold!" 

Now in this prophecy there are several deeply interesting points. A 
glimpse is here afforded of the everlasting covenant, that covenant 
which the Father made with the Son respecting our salvation. It was 
made before the world began ; for God foresaw our ruin, and knew 
that none but his only-begotten Son could save us ; therefore he ap- 
pointed his Son to do this mighty work. The Son consented, and re- 
plied, " Lo, I come — I delight to do thy will, O God ; yea, thy law is 
within my heart," (Ps. xl.) And lo, he came. Thus Christ became 
the servant of God his Father. He finished the work that his Father 
had given him to do, and then ascended to sit at his right hand as our 
Intercessor. He now pleads the merits of his service, and asks for 
his reward, the salvation of sinners. His Father has promised that he 
shall prevail. That is the meaning of the words, (v. 20,) " He shall 
send forth judgment unto victory" Yes— all the ends of the world 
shall remember themselves, and turn unto the Lord, (Ps. xxii.) That 
glorious day has not yet arrived. Meanwhile, let us trust in him. See 
what a gentle Saviour he is. " He will not break the bruised reed," 
or the broken heart. " He will not quench the smoking flax." The 
first desires of a soul after Christ may be compared to the smoke of 

16 



122 CHRIST CH001E3 HIS APOSTLES. [march 3. 

flax, after it has received a spark, and before it is kindled into a flame. 
Will he quench these feeble desires ? No — he will fan them into a 
flame. How can we refuse to trust in so compassionate a Saviour ! 
Ought we not to come to him with confidence, knowing that what he 
was on earth, he is now in heaven ! 

Evening Scripture portion. Isaiah XL. 11. The gentleness oj Christ. 



Luke VI. 12-16. — Christ chooses his twelve apostles. 

We must remember, that though Jesus was God, yet that he was 
clothed in a body like our own, and was subject to all our feelings of 
fatigue. What ardor of love must have filled his bosom to have driven 
sleep from his eyelids, and to have sustained him in prayer for a whole 
night ! How long do ive pass in prayer ? Half an hour ? perhaps not 
five minutes morning and evening ; perhaps the greater part even of 
that time our thoughts are w r andenng to the ends of the earth. Or do 
we never pray in spirit, with hearty desires after God ? Do we feel 
our prayers a burdensome task ; and do we never pour out our souls, 
as a child pours out his feelings into his father's bosom ? If this be the 
case, how awful is our condition ! 

But even if we do know what it is to pray to God, yet we must feel 
that we do not pray as much, or as earnestly as we ought. 

What blessings we should receive if we prayed to God more fer- 
vently, and entreated him and implored him to fulfil his promises ! 
Why are we so apt to make excuses, and to think that we are too busy, 
or too much fatigued to pray ! Is it because we do not believe that 
God hears us ? or is it because we think that He will give us blessings 
without our asking for them ? Let us bew r are lest we provoke God, 
by our negligence, to withdraw the blessings he has already bestowed. 

We may conclude what was the subject of our Saviour's prayer that 
night, when we observe what was his employment the next morning. 
Then he chose twelve from among his disciples to be apostles. Was 
he not praying in the night for them, and for the success of their min- 
istry ? What blessings have been poured down upon thousands in an- 
swer to those midnight prayers ! 

But even we, unworthy as we are, might assist our Redeemer's cause 
by joining in his petitions ; for he once said, " The harvest is plenteous, 
but the laborers are few ; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, 
that he will send forth laborers into his harvest." 

Yes, even we may entreat God to choose holy men, and to make 
them his ministers. Human creatures may build churches, but they 
cannot place in them holy ministers, unless God prepare men for the 
ministry. And what is a church without a man of God in it ! False 



MARCH 4.] A MULTITUDE HEALED. 123 

teachers ruin men's souls ; they are not the ministers of Christ. Let 
us pray that God may send us pastors after his own heart to feed us 
with good knowledge, and understanding, and that he may send his 
shepherds forth to the ends of the earth to bring in his lost sheep into 
his fold. 

These twelve apostles were not to become ministers immediately 
If you refer to St. Mark iii. 14, you will find that Jesus ordained them 
that they should first be with him, and then go forth and preach. All 
who teach others must be with Jesus to be taught by him. 

Who were the men whom Jesus chose to be his apostles or mes- 
sengers ? (for apostle means " person sent forth.") 

Some were fishermen ; Matthew was a publican ; and probably none 
were great in this world. 

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were called Boanerges, or 
sons of thunder ; and it is supposed that they afterwards preached 
with great power, for though John is famous for writing about love, he 
wrote terrible warnings to sinners, and no doubt uttered them also, 
even as Jesus his gentle master did. 

There was another James, who had a brother called Judas or Jude. 
They were relations of the Lord Jesus, and they wrote the two epistles 
called by their names. 

The last mentioned is Judas Iscariot, or the man of Carioth, the 
traitor ! And why did Jesus choose such a man, when from the begin- 
ning he knew he would betray him, and once said, " Have I not cho- 
sen you twelve, and one of you is a devil ?" Why then did he choose 
him ? No doubt one reason was to fulfil the prophecy in Ps. xli. : 
" Mine own familiar friend in whom I trusted, which did eat of my 
bread, hath lifted up his heel against me." Might he not also have in- 
tended to teach us a solemn lesson by the example of Judas ? It is 
possible to be with Jesus, to hear him night and day ; it is possible to 
appear religious and to preach holy doctrines, and yet to perish ever- 
lastingly. There are too many instances of persons who have ap- 
peared to have been born of God, who have died in sin. Baxter relates 
that in his youthful days he had a friend who seemed more earnest than 
himself, who prayed with him and exhorted him, and who finally fell 
away, and made shipwreck of his faith. Can we hear of such instan- 
ces without lifting up our hearts to God to keep us from falling ? 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Jer. III. 12th to end. Promise of good pastors. 



Luke VI. 17-19. — A multitude of persons healed by touching Christ. 

We have lately read how Jesus spent a whole night in prayer, and 
in the morning chose his twelve apostles. After choosing them he 



124 A MULTITUDE HEAtED. [MARCH 4. 

came down from the mountain, and found a vast multitude collected 
together in a plain beneath. 

What a scene of suffering must have been witnessed upon this oc- 
casion, and what a scene of joy must have succeeded when the tongue 
of the dumb sang, and the lame man leaped as the hart, when mothers 
again beheld their drooping infants restored to all the freshness of 
health, when fathers rejoiced over children once tormented with devils, 
suddenly become gentle, reasonable, and happy ? Yet these changes 
are but faint emblems of the glorious works which are now wrought 
where the gospel is preached in power : for virtue (that is, a divine 
power) still goes out of Jesus, and where his name is proclaimed, tongues 
that were dumb in his praise are loosed ; feet that could not walk in his 
ways are strengthened ; parents behold their wandering children re- 
turning to their forsaken God ; and even angels in heaven survey the 
scene and look forward with joy to the time when redeemed sinners 
shall be their companions in heaven. O blessed gospel, which can 
effect such wonders ! May it be preached all over the world, and 
rescue every sinner from the power of Satan ! 

There were probably some spiritual cures wrought by Jesus on that 
plain ; for the multitude came not only to be healed, but also to hear 
him. This seemed a favorable opportunity for preaching a public dis- 
course. This sermon is recorded by Saint Luke. It is doubtful 
whether that recorded by St. Matthew is the same as this, or whether 
it was delivered on a different occasion. But the two sermons are so 
much alike, that it will be best to select one only, and as St. Matthew 
gives the, fullest account, we will consider the sermon recorded in his 
gospel. 

Never could a congregation have had such motives to listen to a 
preacher as the audience that surrounded our Lord at this time. With 
what feelings of grateful love the newly-restored sufferers must have 
regarded their compassionate Saviour ! And with what emotions of 
reverence and awe those who had witnessed the miracles must have 
gazed upon the Almighty Lord ! 

But much as we must admire the power displayed in his miracles, 
we must be chiefly touched by that love which induced him to welcome 
and relieve the suffering throng. The selfish heart of a fallen man 
would soon be wearied and disgusted with such a crowd of miserable 
objects. But the Son of God shrunk not from the leper's touch, nor 
the maniac's shriek. 

The love of Jesus flowed out to meet the misery of man. It is thus 
even now. His love is still shown in listening to the cries of the most 
degraded outcasts. Those whom proud men would trample under 
foot, need only cry to the condescending Saviour, and they shall be 
heard, received, and welcomed. The beggar in his hovel is visited, 
even the felon in his cell, when, in the hour of trouble, he calls upon the 
name of Jesus. Could we track the steps of the Saviour through the 
world, we should find that while he passed by many a gay mansion 



MARCH 5. J CHRIST'S SERMON ON THE MOUNT. -125 

and many a grand palace, he often cheered by his presence the hut of 
the African slave, and softened by his love the hard bed of the dying 
pauper. How blessed are they who tread in the steps of the Saviour, 
and who delight more in relieving the sufferer than in shining in ele- 
gant society, and partaking of splendid entertainments ! Every one 
has heard of Howard, the prisoner's friend ; and of Wilberforce, the 
negro's friend ; and of Ashley, the friend of the factory child : but there 
are many whose names the world has never heard, who have imitated 
Christ as nearly as they in labors of love. An aged outcast one night 
wandered to the door of a poor Christian. The wanderer was a beg- 
gar, and almost an idiot, but for Christ's sake she was received. Her 
new-found friend never grew weary of her charge, but year after year 
sustained her by the labor of her hands, dressing her wounds with a 
sisters tenderness, and praying with many tears for the salvation of her 
soul. When asked why she did so much for a stranger, she replied, 
" The love of Christ constraineth me. Has He not said, Bring the 
poor that are cast out to thy house ?" (Is. lviii. 7.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. CVII. 1-22. The mercy of God to the miserable. 



Matt. V. 1-10. — Christ begins his sermon on the Mount by pro- 
nouncing the beatitudes. 

The blessed Saviour had been just engaged in healing the bodies 
of men, when he ascended the mountain to preach words that might 
save their souls. He opened his mouth to speak with a loud voice to 
the vast multitude. What heavenly words proceeded from those gra- 
cious lips ! He began with pronouncing blessings ; for he came to 
bless and to save. These eight blessings are called the beatitudes. 
They are very instructive, because they teach us whom Christ counts 
happy or blessed. 

W T e all naturally desire happiness, but we fall into this great mistake : 
we think that we must have earthly good in order to be happy. Do 
not the world show by their conduct, that if they were to speak the 
language of their hearts, they would say, " Blessed are those who have 
houses and lands : Blessed are those who enjoy health and long life : 
Blessed are those who are held in honor and reputation among men ?" 
But God speaks very differently. He assures us that happiness is 
only to be found in his presence, and in likeness to himself. The 
Psalmist declares, " In thy presence is fulness of joy ;" and again, " I 
shall behold thy face in righteousness ; I shall be satisfied when I 
awake in thy likeness." In order to become happy we must become 
holy like Him. 



126 CHRIST'S SERMON ON THE MOUNT. (MARCH 5. 

God will bestow upon us, in answer to our prayers, all the graces 
mentioned in these beatitudes — humility, penitence, meekness, spiritual 
desires, mercy, purity, love of peace-making, and joy in persecution. 
None but real Christians possess these dispositions. Unconverted 
persons may sometimes appear to be meek. It is no' doubt true that 
there are some people more meek by nature than others. But how 
different is natural meekness from that of the true Christian ! He is 
meek, not because he does not feel an insult, not because he is afraid 
of showing resentment, not because he sees it is most to his interest 
to endure in silence ; but — because he traces the hand of God in every 
injury man is permitted to inflict, because he knows that he deserves 
worse treatment than he receives, and because his Saviour suffered far 
more for his sake. These are some of the motives which lie at the 
root of the Christian's meekness. When David was cursed by Shimei, 
he meekly replied, " Let him curse," because the Lord hath said unto 
him, " Curse David." He felt that the Lord had appointed the chas- 
tisement, and he did not desire to resist it. This was the meekness, 
not of nature, but of grace. 

Some persons are more merciful or kind-hearted by nature than 
others ; but none exercise true mercy except those who have them- 
selves received it from God. These are the only persons who show 
mercy to the souls of men. 

There are some also who naturally delight more than others in 
making peace ; but the right motive must ever be wanting, where true 
religion is absent. How beautiful is the character of a Christian 
peacemaker ! We might all do something in preventing quarrels, and 
in healing them. The children of Satan delight in seeing people 
divided, and often by their malicious tales create differences between 
friends : but the children of God delight in seeing hearts fondly at- 
tached to each other ; and often by their kind efforts reunite the cord 
of love when it has been broken. Two celebrated ministers, Robert 
Hall and Charles Simeon, had quarrelled ; they refused to speak to 
each other ; when John Owen, another eminent minister, adopted the 
following plan to reconcile them, after several others had been tried in 
vain. He wrote and left at the house of each these lines : 

How rare that task a prosperous issue finds, 
Which seeks to reconcile discordant minds ! 
How many scruples rise at passion's touch ! 
This yields too little, and that asks too much ; 
Each wishes each with others' eyes to see : 
And many sinners can't make two agree. 
What mediation then, the Saviour show'd, 
Who singly reconciled us all to God ! 

It is said that upon receiving the lines, each minister left his residence 
to seek the other, and that they met in the street, where a perfect 
reconciliation took place. 

This is an instance of the manner in which the true Christian makes 



MARCH 6.] CHRIST PREPARES HIS DISCIPLES FOR PERSECUTION. 127 

peace between his brethren, and of the success with which God bless- 
es his efforts. 

Let us now turn to another of the beatitudes. " Blessed are the 
pure in heart : for they shall see God." All who know any thing of 
their own hearts, must acknowledge that they are not by nature pure. 
We learn from the scriptures that the heart is purified by faith. 
(Acts xv. 9.) When a man believes in Christ, his heart no longer de- 
lights in sin, but desires to be holy like God. Lest, howeyer, any 
penitent sinner should be cast down by reading this verse, let me men- 
tion a little circumstance for his comfort : — 

When the Esquimaux, in North America, first obtained the Gospel 
of St. Matthew in their own language, they perused the sacred treasure 
with the greatest attention. One day the missionary found a poor lad 
weeping bitterly. He inquired the cause of his grief. The youth 
replied by pointing to the passage in the eighth verse of this chapter. 
" Look there," said he, " it is only the pure in heart who shall see God ; 
and I am not pure, so I can never see him." " But stop," said the mis- 
sionary, (placing his finger on the fourth verse,) "read again, Blessed 
are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." 

Evening Scripture portion. 
2 Sam. XVI. 1-14. David's meekness towards Shimei. 



Matt. V. 11-16.— Christ prepares his disciples for persecution. 

The sermon which the Lord Jesus preached on the Mount aston- 
ished those that heard it. Who would have thought that the persecu- 
ted could rejoice ? Yet Jesus said, " Blessed are ye when men shall re- 
vile you." There are a great many different kinds of persecution ; but 
only one of them is mentioned in this place. It is a kind that some 
might think not very difficult to bear — the persecution of the tongue. 
" Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and 
say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake." But those 
who have endured this kind of persecution, know that it is very painful 
to the natural feelings. Yet all who follow Jesus must suffer it ; 
for " if they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much 
more shall they call them of his household ?" (Matt. x. 25.) 

Slander is a part of the martyr's portion. No man was ever yet put 
to death as a good man. His enemies take away his good name be- 
fore they venture to murder him. Thus they did to Jesus. They 
said that he was a rebel and a blasphemer, before they crucified him. 
The most dreadful calumnies were spread abroad respecting the early 
Christians. The first persecution was set on foot by the emperor 
Nero, on the ground that the Christians had set fire to the city of Rome, 



] 28 CHRIST EXPLAINS THE SPIRITUAL [MARCH 1 

though it is supposed he himself had committed the crime. Whek 
warriors expire on the field of battle, they know that their names will 
be honored by their countrymen ; but martyrs often die amidst the 
curses and insults of the multitude. 

Many Christians have tried to escape persecution by concealing 
their religion. But the Lord Jesus does not approve such conduct. 
He has compared his people to two things, salt and light. Why has 
he compared them to salt? Because if salt has lost its savor, it is 
utterly useless. Thus, a Christian who hides his religion, or who dis- 
graces it by his conduct, is useless. Light also is a great blessing ; 
but if it be concealed, it is no blessing at all. There have been Chris- 
tians, in countries where persecution was violent, who have concealed 
their sentiments even from their own children. In Bohemia, some 
fathers, when going to die, acknowledged that all their lives they had 
been Protestants in heart, but had not had courage to avow it. While 
they lived, they often retired into a shed to read the Bible, which they 
buried in the earth. But did these men give light unto all that were 
in the house ? Were their children brought up in the nurture and ad 
monition of the Lord ? 

The prophet Daniel acted in a very different manner, when, in spite 
of the king's decree, his windows being open in his chamber toward 
Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, 
and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. 

There are two things which Christians must do if they would glori- 
fy God ; they must lead holy lives, and openly acknowledge the Sa- 
viour, in whom they believe. If they do not openly acknowledge him, 
how can they do him honor by their lives ? And if they do not lead 
holy lives, they disgrace the cause by making an open profession of 
his name. 

" Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good 
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." We must expect 
that they will now speak evil of us ; but afterwards, when they are in 
affliction, they may be led to turn to our God ; according to the words 
of the apostle Peter, " Having your conversation honest among the 
Gentiles, that whereas they speak against you as evil-doers, they may 
by your good works which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of 
visitation" (1 Peter ii. 12.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Dan. VI. Den of Lions. 



Matt. V. 17-32. — Christ explains the spiritual nature of the law. 

It is a very common idea, that Christ came to set aside the law ; but. 
it is a mistaken one. He said himself, " I came not to destroy the 



MARCH 7.] NATURE OF THE LAW. 129 

law, but to fulfil." He knew that man had broken it ; and he came to 
fulfil it in his stead, and to bear the punishment due to man for break- 
ing it. But he came to do still more ; he came to take out of man's 
heart, his hatred of God's law. For ever since the fail, men have 
hated that law. As it is written, " The carnal mind is enmity against 
God : for it is not subject to the law of God : neither indeed can be." 
(Rom. viii. 7.) The Pharisees professed to keep the law : but in 
their hearts they hated it. 

No doubt it astonished the people exceedingly to hear Jesus 
declare, " Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness 
of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter the kingdom of 
heaven." But what sort of righteousness can those men have had, 
who in their hearts hated righteousness ! But this was the case with 
the Pharisees, and it is the case with every unconverted man. The 
law is too holy to please such sinful creatures as we are by nature. 
It may appear, at first sight, an easy thing to keep the sixth com- 
mandment, " Thou shalt not kill.*'" But if we think it easy to keep it, 
it is because we do not understand its spiritual meaning. It forbids 
not only the act of murder, but the thought. Hatred is the beginning 
of murder. This may be proved. When we hate a person, we do 
not like the presence of that person ; we feel uncomfortable when he 
is near, and wish he were at a distance. This must have been Cain's 
first feeling against Abel. It was fostered in his bosom, till it led to 
murder. Before he murdered Abel with his hand, he murdered him 
in thought. And what is the beginning of hatred 1 It is anger. 
There is a righteous anger. God is angry with the wicked ; but if 
they would turn from their wickedness, his anger would cease ; for he 
says, " Let the wicked man forsake his way, and the unrighteous 
man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have 
mercy upon him." But sinful anger is very different from the anger 
of God ; it is anger without a cause, or without, a sufficient cause. 
Perhaps some one has slighted us and wounded our self-love ; or, 
perhaps, he has gained some advantage that w r e should like to possess, 
and has excited our envy. Perhaps he has faithfully reproved us, or 
set us an example which makes us feel ashamed of our own conduct. 
This was the reason that Cain was angry with Abel, and it was 
the reason that the Pharisees were angry with Jesus. Worldly 
people are still angry with real Christians on the same account. How 
sinful is such anger ! It is usually vented in abusive words. Raca 
and fool were terms of reproach used by the Jews. Raca signified 
" vain worthless fellow," and fool, " wicked and abandoned wretch." 
And have none of us in our anger been led to use very improper 
expressions 1 Even little children sometimes utter very violent words 
in their fits of passion. And does not God notice these words ? He 
does notice them, and though we may forget them, He will not. He 
is an adversary to the wicked, and will shut them up in a prison 
whence they can never escape. We are now going to pray to God> 

17 



130 CHRIST FORBIDS IRREVERENT SWEARING. [MARCH 8. 

Do any of us cherish malice in our hearts ? Malice is the worst kind 
of hatred. God will not accept the prayers or the praises of any 
person who hates his brother. It is a difficult thing to part with our 
sins. Many people would rather part with a foot, or an eye, than 
with their sins. But we must part with them, or we shall be cast into 
hell. Blessed be God, He will give new hearts to those who ask for 
them ; He will make them righteous, and He will pardon all their 
sins for his dear Son's sake. 

Evening Scripture portion. — Gen. IV. 1-16. Cain and Abel. 



Matt. V. 33-37. — Christ forbids irreverent swearing. 

The Lord Jesus observes the expressions we use in our common 
conversation ; he notices every reproachful word we utter to each 
other ; he notices also every irreverent word we speak of God. He 
heard with displeasure the Jews of old calling their brethren raca 
and fool, and swearing by heaven, by the earth, by Jerusalem, and by 
their own heads. Let us never forget that he still listens to our dis- 
course, and is displeased with every profane expression, such as, 
" God bless us," " The Lord knows," " Upon my soul." Ungodly 
people are so much in the habit of uttering these exclamations, that 
they scarcely know when they use them. But they could not have 
acquired the habit, if they had felt reverence for the majesty of the 
Almighty God. But when men became sinners, they began to 
despise Him. If they were to hear his terrible voice, they would be 
filled, as Adam was, with fear ; but when they do not see him, they 
feel no dread, and care not how they insult his name. 

But with what solemn awe the Son of God speaks of his Father ! 
Even the heavens and earth are not common things in his sight. 
When we look up at the blue vault above our heads, we are gazing 
upon the throne of its Creator ; and when we look around upon this 
green and smiling earth, we are gazing upon the footstool of its 
glorious Monarch : even our own heads are His, and not ours ; for 
He made them, while we cannot make one hair, white or black. If 
men were not sinners, they would be satisfied with saying "yes" and 
" no," without using oaths to confirm their words. For Jesus said, 
" But let your communication be yea, yea ; nay, nay ; for whatever is 
more than these, cometh of evil ;" " that is, from the evil one, or the 
evil heart." 

There is one difficulty that may be urged respecting the rule 
Christ laid down. How is it that St. Paul in his epistles often 
appeals to God, saying, " God is my witness, I speak the truth in 



MARCH 9.] CHRIST ENJOINS LONG-SUFFERING. 131 

Christ ; I lie not. I call God for a record upon my soul." Did 
Paul speak profanely ? That is impossible, for he spake by the Holy 
Ghost. It is therefore lawful to appeal to God on solemrj important 
occasions ; as in a court of justice, when our words may affect the 
life of a fellow-creature. It is even mentioned in Isaiah as a proof of 
piety in future days, that men instead of swearing by false gods, will 
swear by the true God. " He that sweareth in the earth, shall swear 
by the God of truth." (Is. lxv. 16.) In Deuteronomy also, God said, 
" Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and swear by his 
name." (vi. 13.) It must therefore be lawful on some occasions to 
use solemn oaths. 

How condescending God has been to us in having used an oath to 
confirm his promise to us ! Because he could swear by no greater, 
he sware by himself, and he said, " As I live? This he did to quiet 
the unbelieving fears of his own people. He says to each of those 
who have fled to Christ for pardon, " Surely blessing I will bless 
thee." He adds his oath to his word, and says, " As / live." Thus 
by two immutable or unchangeable things, his word and his oath, he 
gives strong consolation to the poor penitent trembling at his footstool. 
He uses the same oath when He threatens to destroy His enemies. 
"I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, 'I live forever/ If I whet 
my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold in judgment, I will 
render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate 
me." (Deut. xxxii. 40, 41.) Well, then, may we fear this glorious 
and fearful name, " The Lord thy God." 

Evening Scripture portion. — Heb. VI. The oath of God. 



Matt. V. 38-42. — Christ enjoins long-suffering. 

These directions have excited a great deal of surprise. It seems 
lo proud man impossible that God should expect him to bear injuries 
without complaint, or desire of revenge. Let us inquire in what man- 
ner these directions are to be understood. The words, " An eye for 
an eye, a tooth for a tooth," are the words of God, and Jesus did not 
contradict his Father's words, which were his own also, but he ex- 
plained them. The Pharisees had misunderstood them, and repre- 
sented them falsely to the people. Those w^ords, " eye for eye," were 
a direction given to the magistrates. See Ex. xxi. It was to be their 
rule of punishment. If a man put out another man's eye, the magis- 
trate might not take away his life on that account, but might assign a 
punishment equal to the injury he had inflicted. But this command 
was never intended to encourage revenge. The magistrate executes 
justice for the public good, and men may bring others to justice on the 



132 CHRIST ENJOINS LONG-SUFFERING. [march 9. 

same account ; but they may not practise private revenge from feel- 
ings of hatred and anger. The Pharisees had explained this law verv 
ill, and had deceived the people. Jesus told them that far from re- 
venge being allowable, we ought to suffer injuries without complaint, 
or resistance. He did not forbid us to remonstrate with our enemies, 
when we had the opportunity ; for it is right to do all we can to deter 
others from committing sin. He himself expostulated with the man 
who dared to smite his cheek, as he stood before the high priest, say- 
ing, " If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil ; but if well, why 
smitest thou me ?" (John xviii. 23.) When our Christian brethren 
trespass against us, we are bound to rebuke them, (though with mild- 
ness,) for it is written, " Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart ; 
thou shalt in any wise rebuke him, and not suffer sin upon him." 
(Lev. xix. 17.) 

Are we not then to turn the left cheek to him that has smitten us on 
the right ? The command is to be obeyed in the spirit, rather than in 
the letter. And what is the spirit of the command ? It is a willing- 
ness to yield up our rights. We owe duties to others, and others owe 
duties to us. Now by nature we are apt to think little of the duties 
which we owe to others, and much of the duties they owe to us ; that 
is, we think little of our duties, and much of our rights. We are in- 
clined to watch the conduct of others towards us, and to feel angry 
when they do not behave as we think they ought. This is a ruinous 
course of thought ; it not only makes us unhappy in this world, by 
leading us to feel dissatisfied and revengeful, but it endangers our hap- 
piness in the next, by taking off our thoughts from Christ, our atone- 
ment, and our example. 

It is useless to think of the duties of others to us ; they ought not 
perhaps to expect so much from us, or to behave to us with such dis- 
respect, or with such harshness ; but by dwelling on these subjects, 
we do not improve their conduct, but lose our own peace. On the 
contrary, it is most useful to think of the duties we owe to others, be- 
cause we shall have to account for all our conduct at the last day. 
Then to have been ill-treated will be nothing, but to have ill-treated 
others will be dreadful. If we are engaged upon this profitable sub- 
ject, we shall often not observe when our fellow-creatures behave ill to 
us, and thus we shall miss many occasions of uneasiness, and also of 
sin. But if we do observe any ingratitude, or unkindness, there is one 
great use we may make of the trial ; we may examine whether there 
is no person to whom we have behaved in a similar manner. It is 
almost certain that we shall remember having done something like the 
offence we have received, to some of our fellow-creatures ; but at all 
events, we shall find that there is One to whom we have behaved far, 
far more ungratefully than any have behaved to us. All that our fel- 
low-creatures can do to us is but a faint shadow of the manner in 
which we have insulted God. What has He not a right to expect 
from us ! If a man had expended all his property in ransoming a poor 



MAR. 10.] CHRIST ENJOINS FORGIVENESS OF ENEMIES. 133 

prisoner, would he not expect some grateful return for his generosity 1 
But God has given up his only Son for our sakes. O sacrifice sur- 
passing human thought ! And how have we behaved towards him ? 
How coldly ! How unfaithfully ! What reluctant obedience have we 
rendered ! More frequently still, what open disobedience ! 

This consideration should make us very meek when we receive 
injuries. If it really sinks into our hearts, we shall become less ready 
to complain of others, and more earnest in our endeavors to behave 
well to them. 

Evening Scripture portion. Deut. XIX. Eye for eye. 



Matt. V. 43 to end. — Christ enjoins the forgiveness of enemies. 

It is written in Lev. xix., " Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." 
The Pharisees for many ages past had given a very imperfect expla- 
nation of this law. They had not explained the term "neighbor" 
aright. They had declared that it applied to those who loved us, and 
did not include those who hated us. But this was not true. Every 
human creature is, in one sense, our neighbor. We are therefore 
commanded to love all. God had never said, " Thou shalt hate thine 
enemy ;" for, though he had desired the Jews to form no friendships 
with heathen nations, he had never commanded them to hate or injure 
them from feelings of revenge. It was man who had added, " Thou 
shalt hate thine enemy." How easy it was to obey such a law ! By 
nature we love our friends, and hate our enemies. As Christ said, 
" Even the publicans love those that love them." The publicans were 
people of very bad character, who generally defrauded in collecting 
the taxes, and who were therefore much despised : yet even they be- 
haved with kindness and respect to their particular friends. The 
Pharisees had no reason to be proud of such righteousness as this. 
Well might our Saviour say to his disciples, " Except your righteous- 
ness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye 
shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Yet this is the 
sort of righteousness which men are still inclined to think sufficient to 
entitle them to everlasting happiness. How often people say, " Have 
I not been a good mother to my children, a faithful friend, a kind 
brother — what harm have I done ?" They claim a reward from God 
for such goodness as this ! But our Saviour expects far more from 
his disciples ; he expects them to love those who hate them ; to speak 
kindly to them, in spite of their abusive words, and to pray for them, 
notwithstanding repeated injuries. And yet even this conduct deserves 
no reward, because it is no more than our duty. 

Do we say, how is it possible for us to do this ? It is impossible, 



134 CHRIST ENJOINS FORGIVENESS OF ENEMIES. [MAR. 10. 

without a new heart. We are too sinful to do it. Those who have 
been renewed by grace are enabled to love their enemies. The mis- 
sionaries who went to Greenland to dwell amidst plains of snow and 
mountains of ice, were treated in the most unfeeling manner by the 
natives. Once the ship that was to have brought them provisions did 
not arrive at the expected time, and they were reduced to the brink of 
famine ; for they could not procure food by hunting seals, as the na- 
tives did. The cruel Greenlanders mocked at their sufferings, and 
refused to relieve them. At length the ship containing provisions 
arrived. The missionaries might have gone back in it to their native 
country, but they remained in Greenland. Soon afterwards, many 
of the people were in want of food, as through their improvidence their 
summer stores were exhausted. Did the missionaries refuse to feed 
them? They shared their little stock with them. The people were 
attacked with the smallpox ; the missionaries nursed them with the 
greatest tenderness. This conduct had a great effect in softening the 
minds of the heathen towards their teachers, and in preparing them to 
^receive their message. It is by such behavior we may show that we 
are the children of God. 

How does God behave towards ungrateful man ? Our Saviour re- 
minded his disciples that God sent rain, and the light of day, to all, 
even to those who hated him. . But he did not then speak of a still 
greater proof of love — the gift of his Son. For a righteous man 
some might even dare to die ; but God commendeth his love towards 
us, in that while we were yet enemies, we were reconciled to him by 
the death of his Son. This shows us what kind of love we ought to 
feel for our enemies. The same kind that God feels for us. Not the 
love of approbation, {that we can only feel for the righteous,) but the 
love of compassion. It is this love that God felt for the world when 
he gave his Son to die for it. To love an enemy is to be perfect ; for 
it is to have charity, the bond of perfectness. If we have this char- 
ity, this love to all, we are like God, though our love can never be so 
great as His. 

If we earnestly desire the salvation of our enemies, then we may 
know that we are the children of God. Let us endeavor to melt their 
hearts by acts of kindness. Such efforts are often blessed to the con- 
version of sinners. A holy man was once, for the truth's sake, shut 
up in a prison, and obliged to share the cell of a murderer. The con- 
duct of his wicked companion was so intolerable, that his fellow-pris- 
oner complained of him to those who overlooked the prison. An order 
was issued that the murderer should be removed to another dungeon. 
When the unhappy man heard to what place he was to be committed, 
his dismay was great, for he knew that the damp and closeness of that 
dungeon would cut short his life in a few days. He implored his fel- 
low-prisoner, with many tears, to ask that the sentence might be re- 
versed. The holy man felt that it was his duty to yield to these en- 
treaties. He requested that the murderer might be permitted to re- 






MAR. 11.] CIIRI3T FORBIDS OSTENTATION IN ALMSGIVING. 135 

main with him. His petition was granted, but with this condition, that 
he should complain no more of the conduct of his companion. The 
murderer was melted by the generosity of the man he had once hated 
and annoyed. He fell at his feet, and with tears of gratitude implored 
his pardon. Henceforth he listened to his instructions, and through 
the grace of God, repented, and believed the Gospel. — (Related by 
the Rev. Cesar Malan.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Lev. XIX. 1-18. Love of our neighbor. 



Matt. VI. 1-4. — Christ forbids ostentation in almsgiving. 

The Lord Jesus now began to show the emptiness of the good 
works in which the Pharisees gloried. He had declared what false 
views they entertained of the law of God, and now he shows that 
their best actions were nothing worth, because they were done from 
wrong motives. 

Let us remember that he said, in the early part of the sermon, that 
except our righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes 
and Pharisees, we shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. 
Here is an instance of what' their righteousness was. They some- 
times bestowed large sums of money on the poor, or on the service of 
the temple ; but their desire was io be seen of men. They did not 
care so much for God's favor, as for men's admiration. Therefore 
they took care to have their charities known. They did not literally 
sound a trumpet before them ; but they endeavored as much to attract 
notice, as if they had sounded a trumpet. They did gain much praise 
from men, and this was their reward, and their only reward. 

We all by nature care for the praise of men more tfyan for the praise 
of God. The reason is, that we have no faith. We see men, we 
hear their praise ; but we do not see God, nor hear his voice. But 
when a person has faith, he begins to value God's favor more than the 
praise of men. To hear every human tongue united in applauding 
him, would not give him as much delight as the hope of hearing God 
say, " Well done, good and faithful servant." 

Now the point we should examine is this : Which are we most anx- 
ious to obtain, the praise of men or the favor of God ? 

It may sometimes be best that our charities should be known. Da- 
vid, for instance, gave the gold and silver he had saved for the temple 
in a -public manner. But why ? Not to gain praise, but to encourage 
others to give also. Should we even hide our charities, and at the 
same time desire that they should be discovered, God would not be 
pleased with us. He looks at the heart. He wants us to act to him 
alone. We ought not to think that our charities deserve to have a re- 



136 CHRIST FORBIDS OSTENTATION IN PRAYER. [mar. 12. 

ward from God. If we do them with this idea they will not be ac- 
ceptable. What can we give to God ? Nothing worthy of his ac- 
ceptance. Ail we can bestow are but like the flowers that the cottager 
may gather from his garden, and present to the monarch as a slender 
token of his gratitude for the gift of his cottage, and for his garden, 
and for all that he possesses. A gracious sovereign would not refuse 
the gift, if humbly offered, though the flowers were common, and 
though his own garden contained the rarest and the finest ; but if the 
cottager presented them to gain the praise of his neighbors, or think- 
ing he conferred a great favor upon his king, both the offering and the 
offerer w r ould deserve to be rejected. And shall those who give money 
for God's service in such a spirit, be accepted ? Cornelius gave alms 
from the overflowings of a grateful heart, therefore the angel said to 
him, " Thy prayers and thine alms are come up as a memorial before 
God," (Acts x. 4.) The poor widow gave her two mites with a single 
eye to God's glory. She gave her heart with them, or it would not 
have been said of her, " She gave more than they all." Mary poured 
the ointment on the head of Jesus, under a deep sense of her own un- 
worthiness, and of the preciousness of her Saviour ; therefore Jesus 
accepted the service, and has caused it to be remembered through all 
ages. All we do from a feeling of grateful love to Him, who laid 
down his life for us, shall be remembered by God, when the costly 
gifts of ostentation shall be buried in eternal forgetfulness. 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Chron. XXIX. 1-19. David's gift to the Temple. 



Matt. VI. 5-8. — Christ forbids ostentation in prayer. 

Our Saviour continued to expose the emptiness of the works in 
which the Pharisees prided themselves. One of these was almsgiving. 
This has been already considered. Another was prayer. Let us now- 
direct our attention to this subject. The customs of Judea were very 
different from ours. The synagogues were always open, and persons re- 
sorted to them, as well as to the temple, in order to pray. There was 
no harm in the custom, and many persons no doubt went to the syna- 
gogues to pray in sincerity, as we know one poor publican went to the 
temple, and sincerely said, " God be merciful to me, a sinner." But 
others went only to be seen of men. There were also certain hours 
of the day at which the Pharisees said certain prayers ; and if at these 
hours they found themselves in the streets, they stopped to repeat their 
task ; and for this purpose preferred the corner of a street to a more 
private place. Jesus bade his disciples avoid such ostentatious con- 
duct, and advised them to retire to their closets to pray, and to conceal 
from the world their communion with their heavenly Father. 



MAR. 12.] CHRIST FORBIDS OSTENTATION IN PRAYER. 137 

If we really love God, we shall pray to him in secret. It is clear, 
that if we pray in church and in the family, but neglect secret prayer, 
we are only seeking human approbation. 

It is a great proof, both of faith and love, to be frequent in secret 
prayer. If we were told that a departed friend was hovering near us, 
though unseen, and that he could hear us, though he could not answer 
us aloud, should we feel inclined to speak to him ? This would depend 
upon two circumstances : first, upon our faith in the statement, that 
is, upon our really believing that the friend was near ; and secondly, 
upon our love for this friend. If we both believed he was near, and 
loved him, we should find great delight in talking to him. "He that 
cometh to God, must believe that he zs."' If we doubt whether God 
hears us, no wonder we find prayer a burdensome task. If, also, we 
do not love God, how can we find it pleasant to speak to him ? But if 
we believe that he is very near us, and if we love him with fond at- 
tachment, how delightful to shut our closet door, and to pour out our 
hearts before him ! And will he give us a reward for doing so ? What ! 
A reward to his needy creatures, for calling upon him for help ! The 
reward will be, He will answer our petitions as He has promised, and 
at the last acknowledge us as His children. 

Jesus also tells us in what manner we should pray. It is not words 
alone that move God. The heathen think they shall be heard for much 
speaking, and say, Baal, hear us, Baal, hear us. The Roman Catho- 
lics repeat the Lord's prayer many hundreds of times, and count the 
numbers upon their string of beads. But of what use are such prayers ; 
for what are words without desires ! We should use words, because in 
using them our desires grow stronger ; but words without desires are 
but unmeaning noise. A Christian poet beautifully describes the na- 
ture of prayer in the following lines : 

Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, 

Utter'd, or unexpress'd ; 
The hidden motion of a fire ,- 

That trembles in the breast. 

Prayer is the burden of a sigh, 

The falling of a tear ; 
The upward glancing of an eye, 

When none but God is near. 

Sometimes the mouth cannot express what the heart feels. But 
sometimes the soul feels dead, and we cannot pray in spirit and in 
truth. An unconverted heart is always dead; but even the renewed 
heart has seasons of barrenness. How are desires to be stirred up ? 
Take the Scriptures— consider the things revealed in them — Heaven, 
Hell, God, the Judge of all — the crucified Saviour — a precious soul — a 
fleeting life. Is there nothing you desire to escape 1 Nothing you de- 
sire to possess? Have you nothing to say to Him who can do every 
thing for you, and who has done so much already ? What would 

18 



138 THE LORD'S PRAYER. [MAR. 13. 

many a lost soul give for such an opportunity as you now possess ? 
God, who sees your efforts, will send his Holy Spirit to teach you how 
to pray. Let us remember that prayer is our safety ; without prayer 
we must be lost. When a person can receive no nourishment, we give 
him up ; we know he must die if he can take nothing. If we cannot 
pray, we must perish. 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Gen. XXXII. 13 to end. Jacob wrestling with the Angel. 



Matt. VI. 9-13.— The Lord's Prayer. 

This prayer is so familiar to us, that we are in great danger of not 
considering its weighty meaning. A prayer taught by our blessed 
Saviour himself ought to engage our deepest attention. Had we been 
told that such a prayer had been given, and had never heard the words, 
how we should have desired to hear them ! 

We ought not to suppose that we are bound to use this prayer every 
time we pray. Jesus said, " After this ?ftcmner pray ye." We find in 
this prayer a pattern for our prayers. We see in what way we should 
address God, and what kind of petitions we may present. The title 
we are allowed to give to Him is the tenderest that can be conceived — 
Our Father. He is our Father, because he made us in his own im- 
age ; but by sin, we became children of the devil. How then are we 
restored to our Father ? By Jesus Christ. He became our brother in 
the flesh, that we might become his brethren in the spirit. He makes 
us the children of God by faith in him. Thus he said to Mary Mag- 
dalene, after he rose from the dead, " Go to my brethren, and say to 
them, I ascend to my Father, and to your Father, and to my God, and 
to your God." 

Our Father is a king also ; but a dethroned king. His subjects 
have risen up in rebellion against him. Therefore his children entreat 
him to return. His return is the darling wish of their hearts. It is a 
great sign of faithfulness in subjects, when they maintain allegiance to 
a sovereign who is in banishment. At such a time it is dangerous to be 
faithful ; for if discovered in sending letters to their monarch, inviting 
him to take possession of his throne, they would be regarded as enemies 
by their rebellious countrymen. Yet faithful subjects would be con- 
tinually forming plans for the restoration of their lawful sovereign, and 
would run all risks rather than desert him. The children of God feel 
and act in this manner while they live in the world. Their desire is, 
that their Father's name should be hallowed, praised, and adored ; that 
his kingdom should come, and that his will should be done on earth, as it 
is in heaven. In their prayers they express this desixe first, and they en- 



MAR. 13.] THE LORD'S PRAYER, 139 

deavor to promote its fulfilment by persuading men to submit to their 
king. Nor shall their desires and efforts be disappointed, for God shall 
one day be king over all the earth. We see, therefore, that only con- 
verted persons can offer this prayer in sincerity, for none who are not 
converted long for God to be acknowledged as king. 

The next requests relate to such things as we desire for ourselves. 
In the first place we ask for bread ; not for a great supply, but daily 
bread. Then we ask for the forgiveness of sins, declaring at the same 
time that we have forgiven others their sins against us. Thus we see 
that this prayer suits none whose hearts cherish hatred and revenge ; 
for if we do not forgive those who offend us, every time we use this 
prayer we are pronouncing our own condemnation, and asking God not 
to forgive us. 

We have before remarked, that this prayer is only fit for those who 
love God, because they ask that his kingdom may come and his will 
be done. We now see that it is only fit for those w r ho love man 
also; and we know that those who do love God, love their fellow-crea- 
tures also. These are the two great commandments — Love God and 
love thy neighbor. When people believe in Christ they have new- 
hearts, and they begin to love God and man. Then this prayer suits 
them. They still have sins to be forgiven, and it is the sense of God's 
grace in forgiving them, that makes them so ready to forgive others. 
When God has forgiven them a debt of thousands of pounds, how 
can they exact a debt of a few pence from- their fellows ! They feel 
that no one has acted towards them as ungratefully as they have to- 
wards God, and so their mouths are stopped from uttering reproaches 
against their fellow-creatures. 

A penitent sinner hates sin. He can say from the heart, " Lead us 
not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, (or the evil one.") By 
nature we delight in temptation and in evil. All our pleasures are 
temptations ; we are always running into it and longing for it. But 
the Christian dreads temptation ; therefore he does not desire to be 
rich, nor to see much company, nor to obtain higli praise, because 
he knows he might be tempted to be proud, and foolish, and to forget 
God. 

The prayer is ended as it was begun — with the praise of God. 
Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory. This is the consola- 
tion of the child of God ; though none may acknowledge his Father, 
yet he knows his Father is glorious, and that some day his glory will 
be displayed before an assembled universe. 

Christ would not have given his people such a prayer, if he had not 
determined to grant it. He knows what he will do, and he delights 
to hear us asking him to perform his gracious designs. Then let 
every devout soul say, " Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly, for thine is 
the kingdom, the power, and the glory." 

Evening Scripture portion. Rev. XI. The kingdom of God. 



140 WHOM GOD WILL FORGIVE. [mar. 14. 



Matt. VI. 14, 15. — Christ declares whom God will forgive. 

Jesus here gives some instructions concerning the frame of mind in 
which prayer must be made. In the Lord's prayer we are directed to 
say, " Forgive us our debts, or trespasses, as we forgive our debtors, 
or those who have sinned against us." This petition seems like 
asking God not to forgive us if we do not forgive others. Some 
people might have been induced to wish that some part of the 
sentence was omitted, and that they were instructed simply to ask 
God to forgive them, whether they forgave others or not. But it 
would be of no use to make such a prayer ; for God is determined not 
to forgive us unless we do forgive others. 

It is therefore necessary that we should inquire whether we do 
really forgive them ; for our hearts are so deceitful that we are apt to 
imagine we forgive, when we still harbor a grudge against an offend- 
ing brother. What then are the signs of having really forgiven an 
offender ? When we have heartily forgiven him, we cease to indulge 
the thought of his offence, and we take no pleasure in speaking of it. 
When we have heartily forgiven him, we neither wish evil to befall 
him, nor feel glad if it do befall him ; but, on the contrary, wish all 
manner of good to happen to him. When we have heartily forgiven 
him, we neither speak bitterly of him ourselves, nor do we feel 
gratified if we hear others speak harshly of him. This last, perhaps, 
•s the best test of our state of feeling ; for some who would not dare 
to speak harshly of an enemy themselves, would be glad to hear 
others do so. These should be our feelings even towards one who has 
not asked our forgiveness ; but if our offending brother ask us to 
forgive him, we ought to restore him to friendship and endearment, 
and our heart ought to be towards him as before : and thus we ought 
to continue to act, in spite of repeated offences. 

Is it an easy thing thus to forgive ? No ; it is impossible to nature, 
and can only be done through the Holy Spirit working in our hearts a 
sense of our own unworthiness, filling us with love to God for his 
mercy towards us, and then with love to our fellow-creatures. 

Though thousands offer this prayer of our Lord every day, it is 
only accepted from those whose hearts are renewed by grace. Before 
our prayers are accepted, we ourselves must be accepted. Cain's 
sacrifice was not accepted by God, because he himself was not 
accepted. Abel's sacrifice was accepted, because he himself was 
accepted. Would we, therefore, offer acceptable prayers, we must 
first give our own selves to the Lord ; we must come in the name of 
Jesus, and on account of his sacrifice that he offered on the cross, 
God will accept us, renew our hearts by his grace, and answer our 
prayers. God will not be mocked. Man would fain put God off 
with formal, heartless prayers ; but He will not receive them. He 
spurns the offering, and says, " Who hath required this at your 






MAR. 15.] CHRIST FORWDS OSTENTATION IN FASTING. 141 

hands — to tread my courts ? When you spread forth your hands I 
will hide mine eyes from you. Yea, when you make many prayers I 
will not hear." (Is. i. 12-15.) 

But let no penitent sinner be discouraged by these declarations. 
We may come with our sins to Christ, if they are a grief and a 
burden to us, for it is He alone who can forgive them, and it is 
He alone who can subdue them. His Holy Spirit will make us hate 
our sins, help us to strive against them, and enable us to overcome 
them. 

Evening Scripture portion. — Is. I. 1-20. The prayers of the wicked. 



Matt. V. 16-18. — Christ forbids ostentation in fasting. 

There was another duty upon the performance of which the 
Pharisees prided themselves — fasting. Some of them fasted twice a 
week. On those days they neglected the care of their persons, and 
went abroad that men might see they fasted, and admire them for 
their religion. In the day of a public fast for the sins of the nation, 
men should not conceal that they fast ; but, like the king of Nineveh, 
who repented at the preaching of Jonah, they should set an example 
of penitence and self-denial. But when men fast for their own sins, 
then they ought to conceal the deed, and not seek to obtain human 
praise. 

The scriptures teach us that fasting is a duty. It brings down the 
spirits, and sobers the mind ; and, by the blessing of the Holy Spirit, 
disposes the soul for prayer and meditation. But there are some 
persons so delicate, that their health would be injured \>y long fasting. 
It surely cannot be a duty for them to fast, for they would thus be less 
fit to pray. 

But all should beware of excess in food, which drowns the soul, 
and renders it sensual and stupid. It is written concerning one of the 
most wicked cities of old, " Pride, fulness of bread, and abundance 
of idleness was in her and her daughters," (or inhabitants.) This 
fulness made them haughty, and brought on their destruction. (Ez. 
xvi. 48, 50.) Let none think that they are too pious to stand in need 
of such a warning. Christ warns his own disciples against surfeiting 
and drunkenness : " Take heed lest at any time your hearts be over- 
charged with surfeiting and drunkenness." (Luke xxi. 34.) Con- 
stant moderation in meat and drink is as important to the soul as to the 
body. 

But when we fast let us beware of pride ; for as dead flies spoil the 
most fragrant ointment, so pride mars the most self-denying actions. 



142 CHRIST FORBIDS COVETOUSNESS. [MAR. 16. 

We should perform religious duties secretly, when we are among 
those who will think highly of us for observing them. This rule 
applies to fastings, prayer, reading the scripture, and doing good. 
But when we are among those who would ridicule us for religion, 
then is the time boldly to confess our Master, and to show that we are 
not ashamed of him. How easy it is to speak against vain amuse- 
ments, to quote the scriptures, and to make pious remarks in the 
presence of religious people : but how difficult, when surrounded by 
scoffers, to be faithful to Christ ! We need a lively sense of the 
presence of God, that we may always act as in his sight, neither 
courting the smiles of our fellow-creatures, nor fearing their frowns ; 
neither seeking their applause, nor shrinking from their ridicule. Let 
us labor to be accepted of Him, to whom we must each give an 
account. In that solemn hour how worthless will the praises of our 
fellow-creatures appear, their censures how harmless ! 

Evening Scripture portion. Jonah III. IV. Fasting. 



Matt. VI. 19-23. — Christ forbids covetousness and double-minded- 

ness. 

Our Saviour had exposed the apparently good actions of the Phari- 
sees, as their prayers, fastings, almsgivings. He now reproves their 
wicked practices. The first thing he attacks is their covetousness, — 
their delight in laying up earthly treasures. In those days riches con- 
sisted partly in valuable clothes, and therefore He speaks of moth and 
rust corrupting. 

The Lord shows, in the first place, the folly of covetousness. Riches 
make themselves wings, and fly away. How foolish, then, to set the 
heart upon them ! But if we do not lose them, we must leave them. 
We brought nothing into this world, and we can carry nothing out ; 
it is therefore evident to reason, that if there is another world in which 
we shall eternally dwell, we ought to be extremely anxious to lay up 
treasures there. 

But how are we to lay up treasures in heaven ? By good works. 
St. Paul, in his epistle to Timothy, says, " Charge them that are rich 
in this world that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready 
to distribute ; willing to communicate, laying up in store for them- 
selves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay 
hold on eternal life." But some may inquire, " Can we gain heaven 
by good works ?" O no. Jesus Christ has gained heaven by his, 
righteousness, and he freely bestows this heaven on all who believe in 
him. We cannot lay up treasures there, till we have believed in Him. 



MAR. 16.] CHRIST FORBIDS COVETOUSNESS. 143 

We lay up treasures there, when we do things that please God. Good 
works are the fruits of faith. It is written, " Blessed are the dead 
which die in the Lord." It is added, " Their works do follow them." 
(Rev. xiv. 13.) These blessed dead had believed in Christ; there- 
fore their works were accepted. The Pharisees could not please God ; 
they could not lay up treasures in heaven. And why not ? Because 
the" eyes of their minds were shut ; and they saw not the glory of God 
in the face of Christ Jesus. 

How great is the darkness of the unawakened mind ! God alone, 
by his Holy Spirit, can enlighten this darkness. Jesus came to give 
sight to the blind. Has he given it to us ? Our actions show whether 
he has or not. When we see a blind person, we are not always aware 
at first that he is blind ; but if we watch him closely we soon discover 
his condition. If a mad dog pass near him, he does not try to avoid it ; 
and if the most splendid illuminations be displayed, he does not stop 
to admire. The actions of men show clearly whether they are blind 
or not. Unawakened souls evince no dread of hell, no desire after 
heaven, no contempt for earth, no love for Christ. God frowns, but 
they are not alarmed ; He stretches out his arms, but they perceive it 
not ; He opens the gate of heaven, they do not strive to enter it ; He 
points to the abyss of hell, they do not shrink back ; He lifts up his 
crucified Son, they are not softened, or subdued. 

There is an eye to the mind : if that eye be shut, we can do nothing 
right. This is what our Lord meant when he declared, " The light 
of the body is the eye ; if therefore thine eye be single, (or clear,) thy 
whole body shall be full of light ; but if thine eye be evil, (or blind,) 
thy whole body shall be full of darkness." When the eye of the mind 
is made clear, then we begin to act aright, and not till then. Do we 
wish to know where our treasure is ? Let us inquire where our heart 
is. They are in the same place. If our affections are set on things 
above, then we may know that we have treasures there ; but if our 
heart is in our possessions, whether they be few or .many, small or 
great, there our treasure is. Some unhappy creatures have shown in 
their last hours that their hearts were fixed upon some earthly trifles. 
A vain and foolish girl has been haunted in her expiring moments by 
the thoughts of her new dresses. A miser has been known eagerly to 
clench paper in his trembling hands, thinking it was his bank-notes. 
Had these dying persons possessed treasures in heaven, they would 
not have clung so closely to their perishing property on earth. 

Evening Scripture portion. Prov. XXIII. Riches have wings. 



144 CHRIST FORBIDS WORLDLY CAREFULNESS. [MAR. 17. 



Matt. VI. 24 to end. — Christ forbids worldly carefulness. 

Our Saviour had charged his disciples not to lay up treasures upon 
earth. In this passage He gives them another command that appears 
much more difficult to obey, that is, He forbids them to be anxious 
about needful food and raiment. We are naturally inclined to think it 
impossible not to be anxious about the means of our support ; but God 
graciously offers many arguments to prevent our indulging in such 
cares. 

Do we doubt God's power to provide for us ? Who was it gave us 
life, and made our bodies ? Is it not much easier to clothe, and to 
feed, than to create us ? Do we doubt the kindness of the Lord ? 
Does He not condescend to feed the ravens and clothe the lilies ? and 
are we not much better than they, that is, much more precious in his 
sight than birds or flowers ? Therefore we see that we dishonor God 
by doubting whether He will provide for our need. 

It is also useless to be anxious about the future. By taking thought 
we cannot add one cubit to our height, nor one moment to our lives. 
We know from other parts of scripture, that God does not desire us to 
be idle or improvident : he only forbids useless tormenting fears about 
the future. 

And why does He forbid such thoughts ? Because there is a. nobler 
object set before us, which requires all our thoughts — " The kingdom 
of God and his righteousness." This kingdom we must seek earnestly, 
or we shall not obtain it. If our thoughts are occupied about earthly 
things, we shall lose this earthly inheritance. Christ said, " Ye can- 
not serve God and mammon," (or the world.) Neither can we be in- 
tent upon what we shall eat, and drink, and wear, and at the same 
time be seeking God. Christ said, that the Gentiles thought of these 
things. The Gentiles at that time were ignorant heathens, they knew 
not God, therefore they were occupied with earthly cares ; but we 
ought not to be like them. 

If we wish to discover our state before God, let us examine with 
what subjects our thoughts are generally occupied. Of course, while 
we are engaged upon any business, our minds must be on that busi- 
ness ; but after it is done, our thoughts fly to the objects we most de- 
light in. If we are God's children, our thoughts will often fly to 
heaven, our Father's house ; but if we are not born again they will 
grovel upon the earth. This is God's own rule, " They that are after 
the flesh do mind the things of the flesh ; but they that are after the 
Spirit the things of the Spirit." 

It may appear to us a trifling sin to be engrossed with earthly 
thoughts ; but it is a sign that we are in the flesh, not born again of 
the Spirit. Now it is written, " They that are in the flesh cannot 
please God." (Rom. viii. 8.) How dreadful it would be to die in 
this state ! 



MAR. 18. J CHRIST FORBIDS HYPOCRITICAL JUDGMENT. 145 

How kindly God undertakes to keep us from want, while we are 
seeking spiritual blessings with all our hearts ! " Seek ye first the 
kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be 
added unto you." 

How happy should we be even in this world, if we would obey this 
command ! " Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." It is much 
pleasahter to be thinking of heaven and Christ, than to be dwelling 
upon the evils of life ; and O ! how much safer is it ! For though it 
is useless to take thought about earthly things, it is of the greatest use 
to take thought about spiritual things. By thinking of hell we shall 
be led to flee from it ; by thinking of sin, to dread it ; by thinking of 
righteousness, to implore God to bestow it upon us, even Christ's 
righteousness upon us His guilty creatures. 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Ps. CXLV. The goodness of God to his creatures. 



Matt. VII. 1-6. — Christ forbids hypocritical judgment. 

The Lord Jesus had been warning his disciples against many of the 
evil practices of the Pharisees. There was no sin to which they were 
more addicted than to "judging." They did not judge righteous judg- 
ment, according to the word of God ; but they judged according to 
their own wicked passions. Because they hated Christ, they endeav- 
ored to find faults in his conduct, and accused him of breaking the 
Sabbath, of encouraging sinners, and of being a gluttonous man and a 
wine-bibber. The men of the world still walk in the steps of the 
Pharisees : they are continually looking with a malicious eye for faults 
in the children of God, and attributing wrong motives to all their 
actions. 

We may be sure that such judgment is sinful, because it is passed 
in a spirit of hatred. In how different a spirit the Christian judges ! 
He cannot but know that the world lieth in wickedness ; he sees it 
with grief, and exerts all his powers to persuade sinners to flee from 
the wrath to come. By this rule we may know whether we are judg- 
ing righteously or unrighteously. Do we rejoice over the faults of 
others, or do we lament over them ! If we are seeking for their faults, 
and watching for their halting, then we have the spirit of the Pharisees, 
who maliciously watched the conduct of Christ and his disciples ; then 
we may be sure that we are offending God, that we shall be judged 
by him, and that with the same measure we mete it will be measured 
to us ; for "he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed 
no mercy." (James ii. 13.) It is in this spirit that irreligious people 
judge those whom they call " evangelicals and saints." They accuse 

19 



146 CHRIST PROMISES THAT PRAYER [mar. 19. 

them of hypocrisy and of pride ; they watch their conduct with an 
eagle's eye, and triumph over their infirmities with a demon's joy. 
Such persons have a beam in their own eye. This beam prevents 
them from seeing their oiun sins. We may be assured, that if we do 
not see ourselves to be very great and miserable sinners, there is 
a beam of unbelief in our eyes which prevents our seeing it. While 
we cannot see our own sins, we cannot see the sins of others aright. 
What we call sins in them, perhaps are not sins. We do not know 
how to reprove till we have discovered what sinners we ourselves are. 

But when God, by his converting grace, takes the beam out of our 
eyes, then we may help our brother to overcome his sins. Then we 
shall warn him in a spirit of humility and love, feeling our own unwor- 
thiness, and anxious for his good. 

But there are some characters, in dealing with whom great caution 
must be used. Hypocrites may be compared to dogs and swine. As 
these animals feed on carrion and the vilest refuse, so hypocrites de- 
light in sin. It would be wrong to give holy food, such as the priests 
ate, to dogs ; and it would be foolish to cast pearls, such as queens 
wear, to swine. 

But is it wrong or foolish to declare the holy and precious word of 
God to wicked men ? no — for Jesus said to his apostles, " Preach 
the gospel to every creature." But when men, having heard the truth, 
trample it under foot by their blasphemies, and turn and rend by their 
revilings those who speak it, then they must be left to themselves. In 
this manner the apostle Paul dealt with the wicked Jews of Corinth. 
" And when they opposed themselves and blasphemed, he shook his 
raiment." " Your blood be upon your own heads : I am clean : from 
henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles !" (Acts xviii. 6.) Thus the 
apostle left the dogs and swine, that he might feed the sheep com- 
mitted to his charge. 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts XVIII. Enemies of the truth. 



Matt. VII. 7-11. — Christ promises that prayer shall be answered. 

This is one of the most encouraging passages in the whole Scrip- 
tures. How many have been led by this invitation to approach the 
throne of grace ! Here is not only an invitation which assures you 
of a welcome, but also a promise of success — your petition shall be 
granted, " for every one that asketh receiveth." 

Christ knew how apt we are to doubt the love of our Heavenly 
Father. Therefore he appealed to all the parents present, and said, 
" What man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread will he give 
him a stone ?" Every parent who heard this question must have felt 



MAR. 19.] SHALL BE ANSWERED. 147 

that he could not treat his child in so unfeeling a manner : much less 
would he give his child a serpent instead of a fish, or a scorpion instead 
of an egg. There are in the East white scorpions, about the size of an 
egg ; but no parent would deceive and mock his child by giving him 
that venomous animal instead of wholesome food. 

There are few who cannot recollect the kindness their parents 
showed to them in their helpless days. There are few who have no 
recollection of a father's or a mother's love. In childhood we knew 
not its value, but in later years it melts our hearts to think of it. How 
readily our dear parents listened to our requests ! They were not 
always able to grant them, and sometimes they saw it would not be 
well to give us what we desired. But they never denied us food when 
we needed it. They would rather have gone without it themselves, 
than have seen us suffering from hunger. How carefully they guarded 
us from every thing that would injure us ! They warned us not to 
approach too near the fire, or the water, and not to touch poisonous 
berries or venomous reptiles. Far from giving us a scorpion, they 
would have been terrified, if they had seen it in our hands. And does 
God feel the same tenderness for his children ? Hear what Jesus says 
who came forth from the bosom of the Father : " If ye then, being 
evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more 
shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask 
him?" 

But if any trembling soul .should reply, " How can I be sure that 
He is my Father? He is not the Father of the wicked," let him 
know that none but the children of God ask him for good things. 
The little lamb is shown to belong to its own mother by running to her 
to be fed. The children of Satan do not desire to have those things 
which God has promised. They seek for an earthly portion. They 
never really pray. When they are miserable, they often complain, 
but these complaints are not prayers. God said of Israel, " They 
have not cried unto me with their hearts, when they howled upon their 
beds," (Hos. vii. 14.) Sometimes in distress they make vows, as well 
as complaints. But are their vows prayers ? God calls them flatteries, 
and lies. " Nevertheless they did but flatter him with their mouth, 
and they lied unto him with their tongues, for their heart was not right 
with him," (Ps. lxxviii. 36.) How different from these were the pray- 
ers of David ! He could say to God, " I entreated thy favor with my 
whole heart." And he could also say, " Blessed be the Lord because 
He hath heard the voice of my supplications." Every one who is now 
earnestly seeking God shall sooner or later say the same. Therefore, 
" let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord," (Ps. cv. 3.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Prov. II. Earnestness in seeking the Lord. 



148 THE WRONG AND THE RIGHT WAY. [MAR. 20. 



Matt. VII. 12-14. — Christ describes the wrong and the right way. 

Who can hear our Saviour's golden rule without approving it ! And 
who can hear it without condemning himself ! " Whatsoever things 
ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them." He 
who has kept the same is a perfect man, and has done all the law and 
prophets taught. We must confess with sorrow that we have broken it a 
thousand times, and that we need pardon through the Saviour's blood 
for these manifold transgressions. But though we have transgressed, 
yet if we desire to please God, we shall find this rule an admirable 
guide. God knows our ignorance, and has graciously furnished us 
with a rule that will apply to all circumstances in which we can be 
placed. On every occasion we should imagine ourselves to be in the 
place of our neighbor, and say, (for instance,) " If I were a parent, 
how should I expect my child to behave towards me ; if I were a 
child, my parent ; if I were a master, how should I require my ser- 
vant to conduct himself ; if I were a servant, how should I wish my 
master to deal with me ; if I were suffering pain, what should I desire 
the healthy to do to alleviate my misery ; if I were sunk in poverty, 
what should I think the rich ought to do, when they beheld my desti- 
tution ?" We may go further still, and say, " If I were a perishing 
heathen, now standing before the bar of God, what should I then think 
Christians ought to have done for me ?" We must, however, ask 
these questions with this condition — " What would it be reasonable 
for me to expect another to do for me, if I were in his circumstan- 
ces?" 

How ill can we bear to be examined by this rule ! And yet we 
have behaved far, far better to our fellow-creatures than we have to 
God. 

Our Saviour, by his next declaration, has often excited astonishment 
and anxiety. He declared that the gate of life was strait, and that the 
way was narrow ; by which he meant that men find it difficult to be 
truly religious. The narrow way is not broader noiv than it was when 
these words were first spoken, and still there are but few who find it. 
And if there are but few who find it, let us never conclude that any 
practice is right, because many indulge in it. The way in which many 
walk must be wrong. If we would please God and save our souls, 
we must be singular. 

In the broad way there are many travellers, and there are many 
paths in which those travellers walk. People of all sorts of character 
walk in it ; the intemperate, and the miser ; the pleasure-lover, and 
the self-righteous ; and each different kind of character condemns the 
other. Yet they are all alike in this respect, they do not love God, 
nor do his will ; and they are all hastening (however little they may 
think it) to the same destruction. 

Christians, on the contrary, all walk in the same path. They are 



MAR. 21.] CHRIST WARNS AGAINST FALSE PROPHETS. 149 

all alike in spirit, though some are more excellent than others. Thev 
enter in at the same strait gate, that is, they believe in the same Sa- 
viour. Though they come from the opposite ends of the world, ye* 
they know each other's minds, and sympathize with each other's feel- 
ings. The greatest king and the meanest beggar have a sympathy 
with each other, if they both love Christ. 

Yet this narrow way is little sought. The reason is, men cannot 
bear the sacrifices which they must make before they can enter in ■ 
they do not like to give up their pleasure and their pride. If they 
would walk in this narrow way, they would find it pleasant. In some 
places it is steep, and in others it is rough ; but the prospect makes it 
pleasant. It is a prospect that would make any path pleasant. It is 
a prospect that grows brighter as the traveller proceeds ; it is the pros- 
pect of the everlasting hills, crowned with the golden city and the 
pearly gates. And the Companion makes it pleasant. He is at once 
the guard, the guide, the friend of all who walk in the narrow way. 

And though but few walk in it now, yet in the home to which it 
leads a multitude shall be found, yes, a multitude without number ; 
for in every age, there have been some who travelled in this path, and 
in the ages yet to come there shall be many more. The broad road 
shall not be always thronged. When Satan, who now deceives the 
world, shall be shut up in prison, then the broad way shall be forsaken, 
the people shall be all righteous, and none shall say any more to his 
neighbor, " Know the Lord," for- all shall " know Him from the great- 
est to the least." Our journey may be lonely, but our Father's house 
shall not be empty. There are many mansions in it, and not one of 
them shall want a blessed inhabitant. Then will our divine Lord be 
satisfied, when he beholds gathered around Him his innumerable 
family. 

And shall the straitness of the gate deter us from seeking to enter 
in ? Or shall the narrowness of the way induce us to turn back ? It 
would be well to go through fire and water to attain such an inheri- 
tance. But the sufferings of this way are far less than its consolations, 
and these cannot be compared with its end. " I reckon," said the 
apostle Paul, " that the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be com- 
pared with the glory which shall be revealed in us," (Rom. viii. 18.) 

Eveniiig Scripture portion. Isa. LX. Multitudes of believers in the last days. 



Matt. VII. 15-20. — Christ warns against false prophets. 

Our Saviour had been showing his disciples the necessity of walk- 
ing in the narrow way to heaven. He knew that many false teachers 



150 CHRIST WARNS AGAINST FALSE PROPHETS. [MAR. 21. 

would arise, who would point out an easier way ; and the Pharisees at 
that very time encouraged people, by their instructions and example, to 
walk in the broad road which leadeth to destruction. 

There have been false teachers in all ages. There were some 
among the Jews of old. Jeremiah and Ezekiel warned the people 
against prophets, who said, " Peace, peace, when there was no 
peace," and " healed the wound of the daughter of God's people 
slightly," and " daubed the wall with untempered mortar." (Ez. xiii.) 
By these comparisons we are taught that the false prophets encouraged 
people to remain in sin. False ministers do so now ; they do not 
teach the necessity of a living faith, and of an entire change of heart ; 
therefore their hearers are not led to wash in the fountain of Christ's 
blood, or to pray that they may be truly converted. 

It is quite necessary to warn people against such teachers ; for 
many listen to their words, and follow their pernicious ways. These 
ministers are compared to wolves, because they destroy the souls of 
God's people. They are described as wearing sheep's clothing, 
because they often speak in a religious tone, and use Scripture 
language. When Lord Cobham was tried in London, in the year 
1413, these hypocritical sentences were written by the Papists in his 
bills of condemnation : " Following Christ's example in all that we 
might, who willeth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he be 

converted and live, we took upon us to correct him Pitying 

him of fatherly compassion, and entirely desiring the health of his 
soul, we appointed him a competent time of deliberation. Christ we 
take unto witness, that nothing else we seek in this our whole enter- 
prise but his glory." 

This language was sheep's clothing. Those who used it were in- 
wardly ravening wolves. They sought to kill a pious nobleman, 
because he would not believe the errors which they taught. At last 
they obtained their heart's desire ; for Lord Cobham was sentenced by 
the English parliament to be hung in chains and roasted over a slow 
fire. 

Christ has told us how we are to detect false teachers when dis- 
guised in a fleece — by their fruits. The fruits of the Spirit are love, 
joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, tem- 
perance. These heavenly qualities adorn every faithful minister, 
though in some they flourish more than in others. Love reigns in the 
heart of every true Christian, and shines forth in his actions. He may 
be known by his kindness to all the saints, by his patient behavior to 
his enemies, and by his unwearied efforts to save the souls of men. 
None but a converted person brings forth such fruits as these. There 
are many unconverted persons who lead moral, respectable, and even 
benevolent lives, but their hearts do not overflow with this love that 
we have described; and as their apparently good actions do not pro- 
ceed from the right motive, they are worthless in the sight of Him who 
searches the hearts. None but a good tree can bring forth good fruit. 



MAR, 22.] REJECTION OF FALSE PROFESSORS. 151 

We are all bad trees by nature ; but God can make us good trees by 
his Spirit. 

How awful is the declaration — " Every tree that bringeth not forth 
good fruit, is hewn down and cast into the fire." Should not this 
terrible sentence lead us all anxiously to inquire, " Have I received a 
new nature ? Have I become a good tree ? Has the heavenly Hus- 
bandman found good fruit growing upon my branches ?" The loving, 
the tender Saviour would not have ala*rmed us, had there been no 
cause for alarm. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ezek. XIII. False prophets. 



Matt. VII. 21-23. — He predicts the rejection of the false professor. 

In this passage, Jesus gave a solemn warning to his own disciples, 
to those who professed to believe in him, and to those who called him 
" Lord, Lord." At the beginning of this sermon, he had declared, 
that except their righteousness should exceed the righteousness of the 
Scribes and Pharisees, they could not be saved. He had shown that 
the righteousness of the Pharisees was a mere outward form of 
religion, and he had warned his own followers against being satisfied 
with a mere form also. He declared that many would be lost through 
this sad mistake. " Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, 
have we not prophesied in thy name ?" and I will profess unto them, 
" I never knew you." In these words Jesus revealed himself as the 
Judge of men — even as the Son of God. 

Now let us hear what our Judge says. He declares, that none shall 
enter heaven, but those who do the will of his Father. Does this 
make us tremble ? Surely we must feel (if we know ourselves at 
all) that we often sin. But, " doing the Father's will," does not 
mean never being overtaken by a fault ; for Christ declared to his 
Father in his last prayer for his disciples before his crucifixion, (John 
xvii.,) that they " had kept his word." Yet we know that they had 
often fallen into sin, such as disputing which should be the greatest, 
desiring to resent injuries, and sending away poor suppliants. But 
what is it to do the will of God ? It is sincerely to seek to please him 
from love to his name. None do this but those who have received 
the Spirit of God, those who are born again. Jesus did not explain 
this subject fully in this sermon ; but he said enough to show that we 
must seek for grace from God in order to be saved. Did he not say, 
" Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness V and also,. 
" Ask, and ye shall receive ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it 



152 THE HOUSE ON THE ROCK. [mar. 23. 

shall be opened unto you ?" If we would do the will of God, we must 
seek for new hearts. 

There is a passage in the epistles, which shows clearly that nothing 
short of the power of God working in our hearts can enable us to per- 
form any action acceptable in his sight. (Heb. xiiiJ 20, 21.) "Now 
the God of peace which brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, 
(that great Shepherd of the sheep,) through the blood of the everlast- 
ing covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, 
working in you that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus 
Christ, to whom be glory forever. Amen." These verses show us 
that the power of that God who raised Christ from the dead, must 
work in our hearts to enable us to do his will. Neither can we do it, 
but through faith in Christ's blood, which was shed for us according to 
his everlasting promise or covenant. 

Do we dread the idea of meeting with a repulse at the last day ? 
Now is the time to examine whether we have been born again ; 
whether the blood of Christ has washed away our sins ; whether the 
Spirit has been shed abroad in our hearts ; and whether we are doing 
the will of God. It is possible to depart out of this world, imagining 
we are going to heaven, and after all be disappointed. Many will 
suffer the severest of all disappointments. Will any of the lost spirits 
weep as bitterly as those who thought, till the very last, that they 
were going to be admitted into the mansions of bliss ? Jesus would 
save us from receiving this agonizing refusal. He warns us before- 
hand not to be satisfied with a form of religion, but to seek for a new 
heart and a right spirit. 

Evening Scripture portion. Heb. XIII. Doing the will of God. 



Matt. VII. 24 to end. — The 'parable of the house on the rock and the 

house on the sand. 

Christ ended his sermon on the mount by warnings against the dan- 
ger of an empty profession of religion. He first gave the warning in plain 
language, saying, " Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall 
enter into the kingdom of heaven." Then he related a parable on the sub- 
ject. It is the first of his parables recorded. It resembles his last 
parable in this point : both of them convey an awful warning to false 
professors of religion. In the parable of the talents an unprofitable 
servant is described, who is cast into outer darkness. (Matt. xxv. 30.) 
And in this parable a foolish builder is spoken of, who, we have reason 
to believe, was crushed beneath the ruins of his own house. Why 
did Jesus thus begin and end his series of parables with warnings 



MAR. 24.] THE BELIEVING CENTURION. 153 

against the same sin ? "Was it not that he knew the great danger in 
winch we stand, of being satisfied with a mere form of godliness ? 

Nothing is said about the sort of house the wise man built upon the 
rock. It may have been a large, or a small one ; a splendid house, or 
a mean one, we know not ; but it was a safe one. The foundation was 
good. The foundation is the unseen part of a house, and yet the most 
important. So it is in religion. The unseen part is the most impor- 
tant. What is the state of the heart? that is the most important ques- 
tion. Has it been humbled before God ? Has it believed in Christ, 
and been sprinkled with his blood ? Has it been sanctified by the Holy 
Ghost ? These are the important points ; yet these are the invisible 
points. None do the sayings of Christ but those who are truly con- 
verted ; they alone love him ; and there is no obedience where there 
is no love. 

The foolish man may have built a better house, in some respects, 
than the wise man did. The passers-by may have admired it more. 
He himself may have been much pleased with it. But it had one cap- 
ital fault, the foundation was bad. Instead of digging deep down in 
the solid rock, as the wise man did, he had been satisfied with a found- 
ation in the sand. His house was unsafe; the higher it was, the greater 
would be its fall in the stormy day. As long as the weather contin- 
ued fair, the house remained standing. As it was situated by the sea- 
side, it was exposed to the fury of the waves as well as that of the 
winds. The tempest at length arose, and the house fell. How awful 
was the crash ! how total the ruin ! The waves would carry its 
beams and its planks to distant shores. 

There is a day coming when the floods of great waters will try every 
building, and prove its strength. How strange it is that any should 
imagine themselves safe because they have heard the gospel ! This 
is one of Satan's devices. If he cannot keep us from hearing the 
truth, he tries to persuade us to be satisfied with hearing ; whereas, 
hearing should always be followed up by praying, and praying by do- 
ing. Yet, after all, it is not our own obedience that will save us, but 
the obedience of Him who bore the punishment of our sins upon the 
cross. If we believe in Jesus, we are built upon the rock of ages, 
and shall be able to endure the storm that will destroy the world, and 
all that is therein. 

Evening Scripture portion. James I. Hearers of the word. 



Luke VII. 1-10.— The believing Centurion. 

How interesting every character must be whom the Saviour approv- 
ed ! He, who will be the Judge of each of us, has shown us before* 

20 



154 THE BELIEVING CENTURION. [MAR. 24, 

hand what sort of persons he approves. This centurion was highly 
commended by the heart-searching Redeemer. Yet we should not 
have expected to find pity in a centurion. For, in the first place, he 
was a soldier, and a warlike life is a great hinderance to the soul. In 
the second place, he was a man of rank : and rank, we know, is a 
temptation to be proud. He was placed over a hundred soldiers, who 
were themselves men of some consideration ; so that this centurion 
was perhaps equal in importance to a general in our armies. Thirdly, 
he was a Gentile, and therefore a heathen by birth. He had been sent 
by the Romans, who had conquered the Jews, to reside in Canaan. 
There he must have heard the Old Testament, and become acquainted 
with the true God, and believed the promise of a Saviour. The re- 
port of our Lord's miracles had reached him, and had convinced him 
that Jesus was the Son of God. Thus, though a soldier, a man of 
rank, and a Gentile, he was a true believer. 

Now let us examine the character of him who was commended so 
highly by the Lord. 

Observe his compassion. He was deeply interested in his poor ser- 
vant's illness, for this servant was dear unto him. True religion binds 
the hearts of masters and servants together, and makes them brethren, 
beloved in the Lord. (See Epistle to Philemon, v. 16.) 

Observe also his love to the people of God. He loved the Jews, be- 
cause they were the peculiar people of God ; and he did not love them 
in word only, but in deed and in truth, for he had built them a syna- 
gogue. Thus he had shown his love by his liberal actions. 

Observe also his humility. Far from being puffed up with a conceit 
of his own merit, in having built a synagogue, he thought himself un- 
worthy to come to the Saviour, or to receive him beneath his roof. St 
Matthew in his Gospel says the centurion came to Jesus ; but, it is com 
mon to say people do things themselves when they cause others to do 
them. St. Luke gives a longer account of the circumstance, and 
mentions that some elders of the Jews were sent by the centu- 
rion. His respectful conduct was the more remarkable, because Jesus 
was poor and despised, but in the eyes of this honorable soldier, the 
lowly Nazarene was greater than the greatest of the sons of men. Be- 
ing a Gentile, he thought he was less acceptable to Christ than the 
Jews, who were descended from the beloved Abraham, the friend of 
God. But in this he was mistaken, for Christ is no respecter of per- 
sons, and ever loved the children of Abraham in spirit above his chil- 
dren in the flesh. This Gentile resembled the Father of the Faithful, 
and was his son in spirit. 

Lastly, let us consider his faith. It was in faith that he resembled 
Abraham. He had such faith, that he believed that if Jesus did but 
speak the word, all creatures must obey, even as his own soldiers and 
servants obeyed him. He thought that Christ's power was equal to 
that of God, who said, " Let there be light, and there was light." Nor 
was he mistaken ; for all things were created by Jesus Christ, and are 



MAR. 25.] THE RAISING OF THE WIDOW'S SON. 155 

upheld by the word of his power. This faith was exceedingly pleas- 
ing to the Saviour. Jesus loves faith. He plants it in the heart as 
the root of every other grace. Behold how he rewarded the centuri- 
on's faith ! he healed his servant. 

What peace we should enjoy, if in all our difficulties we felt that 
Jesus was able to deliver us ! When our dear friends are sick, let as 
believe that He need only speak the word, and they would be well. 
Whatever anxiety presses on our hearts, let us bring it all to him, spread 
it before him, and trust him to do what will be best for us. If we act 
thus, we shall experience such mercies as will overwhelm us with 
gratitude. 

Jesus declared that he had never met with such great faith in Israel, 
as he had found in this Gentile. He then took occasion to declare a 
very delightful and a very awful truth. It is recorded by St. Mat- 
thew, (viii. 11, 12,) "Many shall come from the east and west, and 
shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of 
heaven ; but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer 
darkness ; there shall be weeping and gnashing." 

By the " children of the kingdom," Jesus meant the Jews. They 
heard the sayings of Christ, and did them not ; but many in distant 
lands would hear them and do them. 

In our days the gospel has been preached in the North and South, 
the East and West ; and already some in every part have believed. 
The Esquimaux, known among his nation as " the man the Saviour 
took to himself," shall he not come from the north to sit down with 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ? Africanus, once a ferocious chief, after- 
wards the missionary's faithful friend, shall he not come from the 
south? Abdool, the proud Mohammedan, grown as humble as a little 
child, shall he not come from the East ? and though poor and de- 
spised like her Lord, shall not Sarah, the Indian widow* — the patient, 
the forgiving Sarah, come from the West to join the blessed company 
of patriarchs and prophets ? God grant that none of us may be thrust 
with unbelieving Jews into outer darkness. 

Evening Scripture portion. Heb. XI. 1-19. Faith. 



Luke VII. 11-17. — The raising of the widow's son. 

There are only three instances recorded of the Lord Jesus raising 
the dead, and in each instance was a case of aggravated sorrow. 
The dead man of Nain was the only son of a widow ; he was the 

* See a tract published by the Religious Tract Society, entitled " Poor Sarah, the In- 
dian Widow." 



156 THE RAISING OF THE WIDOW'S SON. [MAR. 25. 

earthly all of his mother, the object of her fondest affections, and per- 
haps the support of her declining years. 

If any of us have ever seen a widow who has sustained such a loss, 
what anguish of heart we have witnessed ! How has she dwelt on 
the attractive qualities of the lost one ; how has she lamented her own 
desolation, and said, in the bitterness of her soul, Is there any sorrow 
like unto my sorrow ? No doubt we felt compassion for the bereaved 
parent, but not such as Jesus felt at the sight of the widow of Nain ; 
for no heart was ever tender as the heart of the Redeemer. 

What tenderness he showed in his manner of performing the mira- 
cle ! He first addressed the sorrowful mother, saying, " Weep not." 
We should but mock the afflicted, if we were to say, " Weep not." 
We can only weep with those that weep. But Jesus could remove 
the cause of grief. Though himself a man of sorrows, he tasted the 
pure joy of comforting mourners. If the mother looked up, she be- 
held him through her tears approach the bier. What a moment of 
expectation that was ! We do not know whether the bearers had faith 
to believe that Jesus could raise the dead, but they stood still in his 
presence. Then the majestic command was heard, " I say unto thee, 
Arise." 

On what a scene that young man opened his eyes ! There was his 
fond mother — but who was this wonderful person standing close be- 
side him ? He began to speak. By speaking he proved that he was 
really alive. What were his first words ? We are not informed. Did 
he inquire who had restored him to life ? He soon must have known, 
for he who had snatched him from the grasp of death, now delivered 
him into the arms of his mother. This sweet office the Lord would 
perform himself. It must have been a solace to his loving heart to 
behold the joyful meeting of the parent and the child. 

But his chief reason for performing miracles was to confirm his 
word. By raising the widow's son, he showed that he could bestow 
life. He had declared, " All that are in the graves shall hear my 
voice, and shall come forth." Yet there will be a great difference be- 
tween that resurrection, and this of the young man, because the dead 
will then be changed ; whereas, this young man wore again his cor- 
ruptible body. Jesus was the first who rose from the dead with a 
glorified body, no more to die. 

Would we be partakers in the resurrection from the grave, we must 
now experience another — a resurrection from the death of trespasses 
and sins. This is the most wonderful of all ; but Jesus can bestow it 
by his word. " The hour is coming, and now is,'"' said the Lord of 
life, " when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and live.'' 9 
Yes, the hour now is when the dead hear the voice of the Son of God 
and live. The dead in trespasses and sins hear the voice of the Christ 
in his holy word ; they believe, and live. As the apostle Paul said to 
the Ephesians, " You hath he quickened, (or made alive,) who were 
dead in trespasses and sins." (Eph. ii. 1.) These very words that 



MAR. 26.] THE VISIT OF JOHN THE BAPTIST'S DISCIPLES. 157 

Jesus spake to the widow's son, " Young man, I say unto thee, Arise," 
have aroused some dead in sins, and caused them to live to God. 

Evening Scripture portion. 
1 Cor. XV. 35 to end. The resurrection of the dead. 



Luke VII. 18-23.— The visit of John the Baptist's disciples. 

We know that John at this time was shut up in prison. While 
there he was visited by his disciples. Though they had often been 
directed to look to Jesus as the Saviour of the world, it appears they 
now doubted whether he was the true Messias so long expected. 
They did well to come to their teacher to express their doubts. It is 
always well to confide such thoughts to those who are able to help us, 
for by hiding them in our own bosoms, we may often occasion our- 
selves much uneasiness, and expose ourselves to great danger. It 
would, indeed, be very wrong to express our doubts to ignorant, or 
unbelieving persons, but it is wise to open our minds to experienced 
Christians. 

The disciples of John must have heard reports of the miracles which 
Jesus did, but they did not believe these reports. Probably they were 
prejudiced against the Lord on account of his manner of life, which 
was very unlike that of John ; for Jesus freely mixed with sinners, 
and. ate and drank with them, while John had always led a solitary 
life, and had lived upon the coarsest fare. John took an excellent 
method to convince his unbelieving disciples. He sent them to Jesus. 

We often find that the Lord refused to perform miracles to convince 
unbelievers. When the Pharisees asked him for a sign,, he said they 
should have none but that of the prophet Jonas, (the sign of the resur- 
rection.) But he did not refuse to perform miracles to convince these 
inquirers. What was the reason of this difference ? No doubt he 
knew that they were desirous to believe, and he always treats those 
with great compassion who are anxious to know the truth. 

If any doubt whether the Gospel is from heaven, let them go and 
witness its effects. Behold John Newton, the slave-dealer, transformed 
into a tender-hearted man, who delights in freeing the slaves of Satan. 
Behold thousands of blind idolaters throwing away their idols and 
abandoning their vicious practices. But time would fail us even to 
glance at the wonders the Gospel has wrought among all nations, from 
the days of Paul until now. 

Yet still it is necessary to hearken to our Saviour's warning : " Bless- 
ed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me." Blessed is he who- 
soever shall believe in me in spite of all he sees in me to hinder his 



158 JESUS COMMENDS JOHN THE BAPTIST. [MAR. 27. 

believing. By these words Jesus taught John's disciples, that not- 
withstanding his miracles, many would refuse to believe in him. 

There are still many temptations not to believe in Jesus. The world 
does not believe in him — this is one temptation ; there are so many 
hypocrites and inconsistent Christians — this is another temptation ; the 
people of God are generally poor, mean, and unlearned — this is another 
stumbling-block ; and the doctrine of salvation by faith is unpleasant 
to proud and earthly hearts — this is the greatest stumbling-block of all. 
But those who believe, notwithstanding all these hinderances, shall re- 
ceive this blessing. " Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended 
in me." 

We have reason to hope that John's disciples did believe in Jesus, 
because they appear to have been men of a right spirit. When they 
returned, according to the Saviour's command, to their imprisoned 
master, and related the wonders they had seen, how great must have 
been the joy of that faithful man ! His gloomy prison must have been 
enlightened by the tidings of his Saviour's glory. Nothing cheers the 
servants of God so much as to hear of the triumphs of their Lord. 
They rejoice when they read of the success of missionaries in far dis- 
tant lands, and they look forward to the day when every knee shall 
bow to the eternal Son of God. Are our hearts interested in these 
great and glorious subjects ? are they wrapped up in the insignificant oc- 
currences of the passing hour? We all have selfish hearts by nature ; 
but God can enlarge them by his grace, and make them delight in those 
events which are the joy of saints and angels. 

Evening Scripture portion. Isa. XXXV. The triumphs of the Gospel. 



Matt. XI. 7-17. — Jesus commends John the Baptist. 

God has said, " Them that honor me I will honor." — (1 Sam. ii. 30.) 
John the Baptist honored Christ much in his preaching, and now we 
hear how greatly Christ honored him. The Lord, who knows all men, 
declared that no prophet greater than John had ever appeared. Elijah, 
who raised the widow's son, was not greater ; for though John had 
performed no miracle, he knew more of Christ than any who had come 
before him. 

Jesus reminded the people of the time when John preached in the 
wilderness, and asked them why they had gone there. Was it to see 
one of the reeds, shaken by the wind ? No ; they had not gone to see 
a common sight, but to see an extraordinary sight. Was it a magnifi- 
cent worldly sight that they had gone into the wilderness to see ? No ; 
if they had desired to behold splendor and magnificence they would 



MAR. 27.] JESUS COMMENDS JOHN THE BAPTIST. 159 

not have gone into the wilderness to search for it. It is kings in their 
palaces who are arrayed in gorgeous dazzling garments ; whereas John 
the Baptist was only clothed in skins, and a leathern girdle ; there was 
nothing to please the eye in his appearance. Why then had they gone 
into the wilderness ? To hear a prophet. Jesus reminded the people 
of this, to show them how much spiritual good they ought to have 
gained from their visits to the wilderness. But many had derived no 
benefit from these visits ; if they had, they would have received Christ 
as the Son of God, for John had preached concerning him. 

Jesus then declared that the least in the kingdom of heaven was 
greater even than John. The Lord had come to establish the king- 
dom of heaven upon earth. He had come to shed his blood for the 
sins of men. Those who believe in the crucified Saviour are greater 
in knowledge than John the Baptist ; for they know the way of sal- 
vation more fully than he did. We live in the latter days, and God 
has spoken to us by his Son, and by his apostles, the least of whom 
was a greater prophet than John. How shall we escape if we neglect 
so great salvation ? 

What did Jesus mean by the expression, " The kingdom of heaven 
suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force ?" By the violent, 
we believe, He meant those worldly persons who persecute his ser- 
vants. As John had suffered imprisonment, and would also suffer 
death, for preaching the truth, so from his days would all the faithful 
servants of the Lord be subjected to much suffering for their Mas- 
ter's sake. Violent men would endeavor to rob and destroy by force 
the kingdom of heaven. 

Then the Lord made a declaration that must have surprised many 
of those who heard him. He said that John was the Elias (or Elijah) 
spoken of by Malachi in the last chapter of his prophecy. (Mai. iv. 
5.) " Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and 
dreadful day of the Lord." John was not Elijah himself, but he had 
come in the spirit and power of Elijah, being fervent in spirit and great 
in power, turning sinners to the Lord. Yet Jesus knew that many 
would not believe what he was now declaring, for he said, " If ye will 
receive it, this is Elias that was for to come. He that hath ears to 
hear let him hear." 

We see from this passage, that Jesus knows what advantages we 
have enjoyed, and what use we have made of them. Have we heard 
faithful and impressive preachers ? What effect have their sermons 
had upon our hearts ? Have we been persuaded to strive earnestly to 
enter the kingdom of heaven ? If we merely float down the stream, 
we shall at length be plunged into an abyss of misery. The tide is 
against us, and the wind is contrary. We must be anxious and ear- 
nest. The prayer of Jacob suits every perishing sinner, " I will not 
let thee go, except thou bless me." 

Evening Scripture portion. Mai. IV. Elijah 



160 JESUS REPROVES THE JEWS. [mar. 28. 

Luke VII. 29-35. — Jesus reproves the Jews for their perverseness. 

We now refer to St. Luke's account of our Saviour's discourse 
about John the Baptist, because it contains some particulars omitted 
by St. Matthew. 

The Lord Jesus declared that the people, and even the publicans, 
believed John the Baptist's preaching, while the Pharisees despised it. 
The publicans were gross sinners, most of them being notoriously dis- 
honest in the collection of taxes. When John declared to them that 
their sins were great, and deserved punishment, they justified God, 
that is, they acknowledged that God's sentence was just, and they 
gladly received baptism as a sign of their need of being cleansed from 
their iniquities. But when John delivered the same truths to the 
Pharisees, telling them they were the children of the devil, and a gen- 
eration of vipers, they were offended ; they rejected the counsel of 
God against themselves, and did not desire to be baptized, because 
they thought they were already clean in heart and in life. Thus it 
often is now. Some who have committed open gross sins are brought 
to repentance ; while others, who have led regular, and apparently re- 
ligious lives, will not believe that on account of the secret sins of their 
hearts, they ought to humble themselves before God. 

The Pharisees treated the Lord Jesus in the same way that they 
had treated John— With contempt. They had found fault with John, 
because he led so solitary and so strict a life, being clad in skins, feed- 
ing on locusts and honey, and refusing to taste wine or strong drink, 
therefore they had said that he was possessed with the devil. But 
they could not find the same fault with Jesus ; for he led quite an 
opposite life, eating and drinking like men in general, and mingling 
with the vilest sinners, that he might win their souls to God. Yet the 
Pharisees were not. better pleased with him than with John, and pro- 
fanely called him a glutton, and a winebibber, and a friend of sinners. 
But what was the reason that both John and the Lord Jesus were 
assaulted by the Pharisees' reproaches, when they were so different 
from each other in their manner of life ? The reason was, that they 
both had declared the same unwelcome truths ; they both had preached 
the necessity of repentance and faith. 

Jesus related a short parable to describe the Pharisees' conduct. It 
was common for children in the market-place to play at rejoicing and 
at mourning. One party of children imitated the glad songs of the 
Jews at their marriages, and on other joyful occasions, (such as the 
return of a long-lost son,) while another party were expected to dance 
to the sound of their music. But sometimes sullen and wayward 
children would not join in the amusement. Then the other party 
would good-naturedly change the play and imitate the mournful music 
of funerals, (such as that made by the minstrels when J aims' daughter 
lay dead,) expecting their companions to use sorrowful gestures and to 



MAR. 29.] CHRIST UPBRAIDS THREE CITIES. 161 

appear to weep ; but the same froward children would object to this 
play also. Thus the Pharisees liked neither the strict manners of 
John the Baptist, nor the condescending behavior of the Lord. This 
was a proof that they hated their words of wisdom, for Jesus declared, 
" Wisdom is justified of all her children ;" or rather, " Wisdom is 
justified by all her children." The children of wisdom, (or of God,) 
acknowledge his heavenly wisdom by whomsoever declared. If the 
Pharisees had been the children of God, they would have justified 
God both when John preached, and when the Lord himself preached. 

People who hate the Gospel continue to excuse themselves for not 
attending to it, by accusing those who preach it of faults in their man- 
ner, or of errors in their life. These accusations proceed from enmity 
to the Gospel, and will not be received by God as excuses for neg- 
lecting it. If men could find fault with the Saviour's conduct, how 
impossible it is for a true Christian to escape censure, especially as he 
is liable to commit real errors ! But O how great is the guilt of 
those who thus oppose the servants of God ! They are enemies to 
their own souls, 

God tries every means to turn sinners to himself; in his holy word, 
sometimes using tender entreaties, and sometimes denouncing awful 
warnings ; — in his providence sometimes heaping mercies on our 
heads, and sometimes executing judgment. Should every means fail 
to melt, or to subdue our hearts, well may his wrath wax hot against 
us ! Let us pray for an obedient and docile spirit, ready to listen 
to the word of the Lord, whether He speak in thunder, or in a small 
still voice. 

Evening Scripture portion. Jer. VI. Refusing to hearken. 



Matt. XL 20-24. — Christ upbraids three cities for their impenitence. 

We find from this passage that the preaching of the Lord Jesus 
produced very little effect upon men's hearts. In order that people be 
converted, it is necessary, not only that the preaching be faithful, but 
that the hearts of the hearers be prepared : for otherwise the 
tongues of holy men, or of angels, or even of the Son of God, may 
speak in vain. 

The cities in which our Saviour most frequently preached were 
Chorazin, Bethsaida, and especially Capernaum. We are inclined 
to exclaim, " Blessed cities !" But Jesus says, " Wo unto thee, 
Chorazin !" The preaching of the Son of God was not a blessing to 
that city, but a curse. And now the very place where it stood cannot 

21 



162 CHRIST UPBRAIDS THREE CITIES. [mar. 29. 

be ascertained. Travellers may still visit Bethlehem and Nazareth, 
Jericho and Sychar, and many other ancient cities ; but if they in- 
quire for Capernaum, and Chorazin, and Bethsaida, they will get no 
certain answer. 

There is a very wonderful truth contained in the words of Christ, 
just read by us. Jesus declared that Tyre and Sidon, two heathen 
cities, would have repented, if they had seen the miracles he had 
performed in Israel ; and that Sodom, that most wicked city, would 
also have repented, and been spared the " vengeance of eternal fire." 
We see therefore that Jesus not only knows all that does happen, and 
all that will happen ; but that he also knows all that would have hap- 
pened, in every possible case. He knows how each heathen city 
would have received his word, had she heard it. He does not explain 
to us his reasons for not giving that light to Tyre and Sidon which he 
bestowed on the cities of Israel. He giveth an account of none of 
his matters. The Judge of all the earth will do right, and none may 
dare to say, or even to think, " What doest thou ?" At the last day 
his justice in his dealings with men will be seen and acknowledged by 
the assembled universe. The degree of every person's punishment 
will be exactly proportioned l.o his guilt; and that guilt will be 
measured by his advantages, and by the use he made of them. And 
can we hear this without reflecting upon our own case ? How great 
are the privileges we enjoy ! There have been heathens, who, as 
soon as they were told of the love of Jesus in dying for their sins, 
began to repent. A Hindoo set out on a pilgrimage to Juggernaut, 
carrying with him a few tracts which he had not read. Being de- 
tained on the way by the illness of his wife, he had the opportunity of 
reading them attentively. Did he proceed to Juggernaut ? No ; he 
set out on a better pilgrimage. Desiring to persuade his countrymen 
to turn to the Lord, he often read aloud to little assemblies in the 
open air. While thus engaged, a poor native passed by, stopped to 
listen, was struck by what he heard, asked a few important questions, 
and immediately determined to give himself to Him who had bought 
him with his blood.* 

Are not those Hindoos a reproach to any who, having heard many 
sermons, and read many chapters, and received much instruction, 
have not repented yet ? Surely if we repent not, we shall be 
thrust down to the lowest hell ; far, far below the wickedest of the 
heathens. 

But Jesus will himself bestow repentance on all who seek this pre- 
cious grace. " Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a 
Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness 
of sins," (Acts. v. 31.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Jer. XVIII. Judgment on impenitent nations. 
* Report of the Religious Tract Society for 1845, p. 58. 



MAR. 30„] CHRIST OFFERS A THANKSGIVING 163 



Matt. XL 25 to end. — Christ offers a thanksgiving to his Father, 
and invites the heavy laden to come to Him. 

We have now read the end of our Saviour's discourse to the people, 
after John the Baptist's messengers had departed. The beginning of 
the discourse contains warnings and reproofs, but the end is filled with 
thanksgivings, invitations, and entreaties. Jesus intermingled prayer 
to his Father with his addresses to the people. "What a privilege we 
enjoy in being permitted to know what he said to his Father ! He 
spoke aloud that men might be edified ; for on one occasion he de- 
clared, when engaged in prayer, " because of the people which stand 
by, I said it," (John xi. 42.) 

Often our blessed Lord offered up prayer accompanied by tears, 
(Heb. v. 7 ;) but on this occasion heavenly joy must have enlightened 
his countenance, for St. Luke informs us that " he rejoiced in spirit," 
(Luke x. 21.) And what was the cause of his joy? It was, that 
God had revealed these things to babes, though he had hid them from 
the wise and prudent. What things ? Things respecting himself ; 
the things about which John the Baptist's disciples had inquired : " Art 
thou he that shall come, or look we for another ?" (ver. 3.) These 
things many babes knew. By babes ignorant people are meant, those 
who feel their ignorance, and desire to be taught of God. To such 
babes (whether learned or not in worldly things) God reveals his Son, 
while he leaves the wise and prudent in their own sight to blindness 
and darkness. Such were the Pharisees. Though really blind and 
dark, they thought they knew the way of salvation ; for Satan had 
blinded their minds, as it is written in 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4 : " The god of 
this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the 
light of the glorious gospel of Christ (who is the image of God) should 
shine into them." 

Let us pray to God to give us the spirit of a babe, a hun/ble, teach- 
able spirit, and then Christ will reveal to us that heavenly knowledge 
which can save our souls. It seemed good in the Father's sight that 
babes should be instructed. We need not, therefore, fear a repulse 
from our heavenly Father, if we come confessing our ignorance and 
desiring to be taught. And who is the Teacher that He has appointed ? 
It is the meek and lowly Jesus. Hear him say, " Learn of me, for I 
am meek and lowly in heart." Who would not delight in receiving in- 
struction from such gracious lips ? How sweetly he encourages sin- 
ners to approach ! — " Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy 
laden, and I will give you rest." And does not his invitation include 
every child of man ? Every sinner is weary and heavy laden. Pen- 
itent sinners mourn for the guilt of sin ; but those who are not peni- 
tent feel the misery of its bondage. They may not know what it is 
that interrupts their happiness ; they may think it is the circumstances 
in which they are placed ; but it is the sin that dwells in them, and 



164 THE WEEPING PENITENT. [MAR. 31. 

holds them in captivity. Jesus alone can free the soul from the chain 
of its sins ; he alone can bestow rest. They that believe in him do 
enter into rest ; they can say of their Shepherd, " He maketh me to 
lie down in green pastures ; he leadeth me beside the still waters." 

How happy are they who early choose the Lord for their friend and 
master ! They will find his yoke easy, and his burden light ; they 
will find that, instead of binding burdens upon them, he himself bears 
their burdens. Ask those who have been long engaged in this service, 
whether they have not found his yoke easy and his burden light. They 
will tell you that in the brightest days of heedless youth, they never 
tasted that peace which they have found in the darkest nights of pious 
old age. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. CXVI. The rest of the soul. 



Luke VII. 36 to end. — The penitent weeping at the feet of Jesus . 

Two opposite characters are described in this interesting history ; 
Simon the Pharisee and the weeping sinner ! 

Simon was probably respected by his neighbors, and accounted a 
religious man, but he was not accepted in the sight of Jesus. The 
woman had been a gross and open sinner, yet she was accepted by her 
Saviour. Now what was the reason of this difference ? Does Jesus 
love sin ? God forbid ! 

The reason of the difference was, that Simon did notlove Jesus, 
and the poor woman did love Him. The Pharisee showed his want 
of love by neglecting to pay him the attention usually shown in that 
country to guests. He neither gave him water to wash his feet, nor 
ointment to anoint his person, nor did he bestow the customary saluta- 
tion. The woman showed her love to Jesus by coming into the house 
where he was, notwithstanding the scoffs and frowns of the master and 
his friends ; by standing at his feet washing them with her tears, kiss- 
ing them with respectful affection, and anointing them with precious 
ointment. The customs of that country rendered it easy for the poor 
penitent to enter the house. Jesus was reposing, according to the 
eastern fashion, upon a sofa, and his feet were in such a position that 
the woman, while she stood behind him, could weep over them and 
anoint them. 

Let us now ask why the woman loved Jesus so much, and the Phar- 
isee loved him so little, or rather not at all ? Jesus himself explained 
the reason in his parable. He had forgiven the woman a mighty debt. 
She knew that he had forgiven it, and therefore she loved him ; for 
this is the meaning of the 47th verse. Her sins, which are many, are 
forgiven, (not because she loved much, but) therefore she loved much. 
Jesus first forgave her, and then she loved Him. 



APRIL 1.] THE WOMEN WHO FOLLOWED JESUS. 165 

Jesus does not say that the Pharisee's debt was really small. He 
related this parable to show his host that if he thought his debt small, 
he could not love him much, even if he forgave him his debt. Do we 
wish to know whether we love Jesus much ? Let us ask ourselves 
what we think of our debt. Do we think it small or large ? Do we 
think that our sins are many or few ? By nature we all think that our 
debt is small. Yes, even murderers think that their sins are not so 
great as they appear, and that they are excusable on account, of their 
many temptations. 

Thus we all excuse ourselves in our own sight, and think it an easy 
thing for God to forgive us such little debts. While we remain in this 
state of mind, we cannot love Jesus much. In fact, we cannot love 
trim at all, and we cannot be accepted in his sight. But if Jesus, by 
his Spirit, touch our hearts, then we perceive that our sins are very 
great, and we cry to Him, " Pardon mine iniquity, for it is great.'" It 
is not the acts of sin that we chiefly lament, but the secret sins of our 
hearts. These, we feel, are set in the light of God's countenance, 
and cannot be forgiven without the shedding of the Saviour's blood. 
People often remain a long while in great distress on account of then 
sins ; but when they can believe that there is forgiveness with God, 
and that he has washed them from their sins, they are filled with grati- 
tude ; then they love much, because Jesus has forgiven much. 

Never do we lament our sins so much, as when we think of our 
Saviour's infinite love. When is it we regret most our offences 
against an earthly friend ? Is it not when we find that while we have 
been neglecting him, he has been laboring for our good ; that when 
we have been suspecting him, he has been pleading for us 1 This is 
the grief that the true penitent feels. This was the grief that caused 
the woman to shed such abundant tears upon the feet of Jesus. 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Peter I. Love to Christ. 



Luke VIII. 1-3. — The women who followed Jesus. 

In these verses we have a description of our Saviour's diligence, of 
his poverty, and of his humility. 

His diligence was unwearied. He went as an itinerant (or a 
wandering preacher) from place to place. He knew the value of the 
souls of men, and the danger in which they lay ; and being full of 
love, he delighted in declaring the glad tidings of salvation. 

Though all are not called to preach, as he was, al] are called to 
promote the salvation of their fellow-sinners. Yet how many, far 
from endeavoring to convert others, are themselves content to remain 



166 THE WOMEN WHO FOLLOWED JESUS. [APRIL 1. 

unconverted ! They are too slothful to inquire earnestly, " What 
shall we do to be saved ?" though they are often eagerly asking, 
" What shall we eat, and what shall we drink, and wherewithal shall 
we be clothed ?" How strange it seems to spend so much anxiety 
upon a dying body, and so little upon a never-dying soul ! 

While Jesus was upon earth, there were some women who ac- 
companied him from place to place to hear his word. They were 
bound to him by ties of gratitude, having been healed by him of 
various infirmities. 

Mary Magda]ene, or Mary of Magdala, (the town from which she 
came, as it is supposed,) had once been possessed by seven devils. 
We should not conclude from this circumstance that she had been 
peculiarly wicked. The possession of devils seems to have been an 
affliction rather than a sin ; for we never find that Jesus rebuked the 
persons who were possessed, but only the devils. Many have sup- 
posed that Mary Magdalene was the woman who washed the 
Redeemer's feet with her tears ; but there is no evidence to prove 
this opinion to be true. Yet Mary loved Jesus with the same devoted 
affection as that poor weeping sinner did ; she followed him to his 
cross, and shed tears at his grave, and had the honor of being the 
first to behold him after his resurrection. 

Another woman, who followed him, was the wife of Herod's 
steward. The bad examples of Herod, and of Herodias, had not 
hindered her from embracing that Gospel which her superiors de- 
spised. She also continued faithful to Jesus at his death, and at his 
grave. 

Such was the 'poverty of Jesus, that he permitted these holy women 
and many others to contribute to his support. " They ministered 
unto him of their substance." Surely we think it was an honor to be 
allowed to give to him, who gave them all things. It is an honor that 
we may share with them. Though we may have little to give, yet, ii 
we bestow that little in a spirit of love upon the least of the saints, we 
give unto Jesus himself. 

Observe the humility of Jesus in accepting alms. That independ- 
ent spirit, which the world so much commends, proceeds from pride 
of heart. It is right to desire to work for our own subsistence, rather 
than to receive charity ; but when reduced to poverty, it is wrong to 
feel pain in accepting gifts from those who are richer than ourselves. 
Jesus could have turned stones into bread, but he chose rather 
to receive bread from his creatures. Thus he set us an example of 
humility. 

It is supposed that it was about this time that a circumstance re- 
corded by Mark took place. " They went into an house, and the 
multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as 
eat bread. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay 
hold on him, for they said, He is beside himself." (See Mark iii. 
19-21.) It seems probable that Jesus went into this house that he 



APRIL 2.] CHRIST DISPROVES THE PHARISEES' ACCUSATION. 167 

might rest his wearied frame and refresh himself with bread ; but the 
multitude, anxious for his presence, induced him to resume his 
fatiguing labors. His friends, perhaps his unbelieving relations, (for 
some of them did not believe on him,) thought that he was mad, be- 
cause he complied with the people's desire. They knew not his 
motives, and therefore they thought he was beside himself. When a 
person acts in a manner for which we can see no motive, we think 
that person must have lost his reason. If a person were to rush into 
this room, uttering loud cries, we should conclude he was mad ; but 
if we found that the house was on fire, we should no longer wonder at 
his behavior, for we should think a house being on fire a sufficient 
motive to justify his earnestness. 

The world are astonished at the earnestness of devoted Christians, 
because they cannot understand their motives. The believer beholds 
by faith a glorious heaven, and a dreadful hell ; a gracious Saviour, 
and a malicious tempter; immortal souls, and approaching judgment. 
He must therefore be earnest in attempting to save his fellow-sinners 
from perdition. The world beholds none of these things, and 
naturally wonders at the conduct of the Christian. Does the earnest- 
ness of devoted Christians astonish us ? Do we say, " What is 
the need of all these exertions ? Why cannot people be religious 
without pressing their opinions upon others ?" If we think thus, is 
there not reason to fear that we know not the value of souls, and that 
we believe not in the wrath to come ? 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts XXVI. Paul accused of madness. 



Matt. XII. 22-30. — Christ disproves the Pharisees' 1 blasphemous 

accusation. 

How dreadful was the accusation which ihe Pharisees ventured to 
make against the Saviour ! They were m < able to deny that he had 
performed an astonishing miracle ; therefore they accused him of cast- 
ing out devils through tne power of Beelzebub, (or Satan,) the prince 
of the devils. We see from this instance, that wicked men will al- 
ways find some excuse for not believing in God. Sometimes they say 
that there is not sufficient proof that the Bible is true ; but if their ob- 
jections are answered, still they refuse to believe, and find some other 
excuse, however absurd, rather than give up their sins, and come to 
Christ for pardon. But we ought not to be impatient with those that 
oppose themselves to the truth. We should imitate Christ, who calmly 
answered the Pharisees. Jesus sometimes spoke severely to them, 
but never in answer to their reproaches against himself. He always 



168 CHRIST DISPROVES THE PHARISEES' ACCUSATION. [ APRIL 2 

behaved meekly when reviled by his enemies ; thus setting us an ex 
ample, that we should follow his steps. 

He gave two reasons to prove that he did not cast out Satan by 
Satan's help. In the first place, he said that Satan would not assist 
him to injure his own kingdom ; and in the second place, he asked the 
Pharisees by whom their children cast out devils ; for there were cer- 
tain persons among the Jews, called exorcists, who professed to be 
able to cast out devils, though it is not certain whether they could 
really do so or not. Sceva, mentioned in Acts xix., was one of those 
" exorcists." Jesus knew that the Pharisees would never acknow- 
ledge that their own children, or friends, cast out devils by Satan, and 
therefore he declared that it was unreasonable to say that he was as- 
sisted by that evil spirit. 

Then He related a very short parable to describe the work he was 
doing in the world. He compared himself to a man come to take pos- 
session of a house, and of the things in it. This house was the world, 
and the goods in the house were the souls of men. Jesus came to 
rescue these precious souls from Satan's power. He compared Satan 
to a strong man, who was in the house, and who tried to prevent him 
from coming in. Jesus came down to earth, and became a man that 
he might first bind Satan, and then spoil his goods ; that is, redeem 
the souls that had been taken captive by the wicked one. 

Jesus is still engaged in releasing captives. He calls upon all 
whom he has rescued to join in the mighty work. Can there be any so 
base and ungrateful as to hesitate to obey the summons ? Those who 
hold back are counted by Jesus as his enemies. What an awful dec- 
laration there is in verse 30 ! " He that is not with me is against me ; 
and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth abroad." None can re- 
main neuter ; all must be on one side or the other. 

Great injury has been done to the Redeemer's cause by not speak- 
ing in its favor. When missionaries first proclaimed the gospel in 
Tahiti, they received this answer from some of the heathens ! " Were 
these things true, would not Captain Cook have told us of them long 
ago ? But neither he nor his sailors spoke about the religion that you 
teach ?" Thus we see that ungodly mariners, by not gathering 
with Christ, scatter abroad. 

Some people imagine that if they do no harm themselves, they may 
go to those places where others speak and act wickedly. But there is 
a promise to him who shuts his eyes from seeing of evil. (Is. xxxiii. 
16.) Those who love their crucified Saviour cannot stand by and hear 
his name profaned, and see his laws broken. Instead of being amu- 
sed, they feel as Moses did when, coming down from the Holy Mount, 
he found Israel engaged in the worship of the golden calf. 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts XIX. Sceva the exorcist. 



APRIL 3.] THE UNPARDONABLE SIN, 169 



Matt. XII. 31, 32.— He warns against the unpardonable sin. 

This is a very awful part of our Saviour's discourse to the Phari- 
sees. There is a sin which cannot be forgiven, and it is a sin of the 
tongue. Certain words which may be spoken against the Holy Ghost, 
are called, " Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost." There is a myste- 
ry in this subject which we would not presume to attempt to remove. 
Yet we may form some idea of the nature of blasphemy against the 
Holy Ghost, by examining the conduct of those whom Jesus now ad- 
dressed. The Pharisees seem to have been convinced by the miracles 
of the Saviour, that he was a true prophet ; but though convinced, 
they were determined to reject him, and to set the people against him 
also. In this awful state of mind they accused him of working mira- 
cles by the power of Satan, and not by the Spirit of God. Had they 
really supposed he was assisted by Satan, their sin would not have 
been so enormous ; then they would have sinned, as Saul of Tarsus 
did, " ignorantly, in unbelief;" but now they sinned against the con- 
victions of their conscience, and with deliberate malice. 

That man has reached the highest pitch of wickedness, who, though 
himself convinced of the truth of the gospel, endeavors to persuade 
others to disbelieve it. We hope there are not many who act so da- 
ring a part. It is probable that infidels are generally deceived them- 
selves, before they attempt to deceive others. Such a state of unbe- 
lief, dangerous as it is, is far better than conviction of the truth, accom- 
panied by determined hatred against God. Such is the condition of 
devils, and of all the lost spirits. They cannot doubt the power of 
God ; but while they believe and tremble, they vent blasphemies 
against his holy name. Is any soul distressed with the fear lest he 
should ever have committed the unpardonable sin ? let him take com- 
fort. His fears prove that he is not sealed up in final impenitence. 
At the same time, let us all beware of the deceitfulness of sin. 
Though every sin is not unpardonable, every sin is dangerous. Many 
who have never been guilty of the unpardonable sin, will nevertheless 
die unpardoned. Who can conceive how dreadful it is to feel you are 
dying, and that you are not pardoned. Some impenitent sinners die 
resting on false hopes ; but others die in despair. Those who have 
stood by their death-beds, have declared that the sight of their agonies 
was too horrible to be endured. 

Pardon, so little sought for by sinners while they live, is not always 
obtained when they are dying. The Hon. Francis Newport, an infidel, 
who died in 1692, in his last illness was heard to say, as he looked upon 
the fire, " that I was to lie upon that fire for a hundred thousand years 
to purchase the favor of God, and be reconciled to him again ! But it is 
a fruitless, vain wish ; millions of millions of years will bring me no 
nearer the end of my tortures than one poor hour." This miserable 
man had not faith to come to the blood of Christ to wash away his 

22 



m 



170 JESUS WARNS AGAINST IDLE WORDS. [ APRIL 4. 

sins. The understanding may be convinced, while the enmity of the 
heart against God is not removed. 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 John V. Sin unto death. 



Matt. XIL 33-37. — Jesus warns against idle words. 

Behold an instance of the severe terms in which the meek and gen- 
tle Jesus sometimes rebuked sinners. He called the Pharisees a " gen- 
eration of vipers." Thus he declared them to be the seed of the old 
serpent, and the children of Satan. They had accused him of casting 
out devils through the power of Satan, while they themselves belong- 
ed to the family of the wicked one. It is to be expected that the chil- 
dren of the devil should utter blasphemies, even as a bad tree brings 
forth bad fruit. 

Though all have not reached the same height of wickedness as these 
Pharisees, yet all have by nature wicked hearts, that cannot bring 
forth really good fruit. If our hearts were in a right state, our words 
would be good. The tongue was given to man to bless God. David 
for this reason calls it his glory. "Awake, my glory." The tongue 
would indeed be the glory of man if his heart were right with God. 
What a noble use the angels make of their tongues ! they unite in a 
never-ceasing song of praise to God. Adam, when first created, doubt- 
less used his tongue for the same glorious purpose. But since the fall, 
the tongue has become the outlet of the abominations of man's heart : 
the evil treasure of his heart — his pride, his malice, his envy, his de- 
ceit — flow forth from his tongue. His heart is the black fountain of 
sin ; his words are only the streams. We must be born again before we 
can utter words acceptable to God. 

At the last day our words will be produced as the evidence of our 
state before God. It is true that many have said, " Lord, Lord," 
who have not loved God ; but will their words be considered proofs 
of love ? By no means ; words insincerely spoken will be regarded 
as crimes. Those who said what they did not feel, whether to God 
or man, will be pronounced liars, and we know that liars shall have 
their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone. It is only 
good words that have proceeded from our hearts that will then justify 
us, or show that we were born again and washed in Christ's blood. 
If, then, we feel that we are not fit to stand this test, let us entreat 
God to bestow new hearts upon us. Then our common discourse will 
be tinctured with the love of God. Just as an affectionate parent is 
often speaking of his children, because he is always thinking of them ; 
so, when we love God, we shall be disposed to be often speaking of 
his power, and wisdom, and goodness, because we shall be often think- 



APRIL 5.] CHRIST REFUSES TO GIVE A SIGN. 171 

ing of them. The daily duties of life will not interfere with our 
thoughts of God, any. more than they prevent a loving mother thinking 
of her children. Every thing will remind us of our God. The beau- 
ties of creation, and the events of Providence, will lead us to think and 
to speak of Him ; for in every thing we shall see his hand. What the 
world calls " good luck," we shall call "great mercy ;" and what the 
world speaks of as unfortunate accidents, we shall own to be " loving 
corrections." But most of all shall we differ from the world in our 
expressions concerning the Son of God and his believing people. 
That Saviour we shall call " precious," his people " happy." It is 
true, those living in a Christian land seldom dare speak openly against 
Christ, but they show their real feelings by the contemptuous names 
they bestow on his most devoted servants. Their contemptuous words 
are noticed and noted down by God in his book, and shall be produced 
against them another day to their everlasting shame. " By their words 
they shall be condemned." 

Evening Scripture portion. James III. Sinful words. 



Matt. XII. 38-42. — He refuses to give a sign to the Pharisees. 

It was not with a sincere desire to be convinced of the truth that 
the Pharisees wished for a sign. They had already witnessed so 
many miracles that they could not avoid knowing that Jesus was the 
Son of God. This was their great sin, that when they knew the truth 
they would not confess it. As our Saviour afterwards said, (in John 
xv. 24,) " If I had not done among them the works that none other 
man did, they had not had sin : but now they have both seen and 
hated both me and my Father." 

The Pharisees were determined not to believe in. Jesus. Whatever 
miracles he might perform, whatever signs he might show, they had 
made up their minds alread)^ ; they would not believe on him them- 
selves, nor let others believe on him. It is evident that this was their 
state of mind from their conversation w T hen together. (See John xi. 
47, 48.) " Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a coun- 
cil, and said, What do we ? for this man doeth many miracles. If 
we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him, and the Romans 
shall come and take away both our place and nation." Did not these 
words betray an awful state of mind ? It was worse than unbelieving ; 
it was malicious. It is in this spirit that Satan himself opposes the 
kingdom of God. 

And what was this sign from heaven for which the Pharisees asked ? 
Probably it was one of those displays of glory that God once made on 
Mount Sinai, when He spoke from the midst of the nre, surrounded 



172 CHRIST REFUSES TO GIVE A SIGN. [APRIL 5 

by clouds and darkness, thunderings and lightnings. Christ could 
easily have manifested his glory in the same manner, and he will do 
so when he comes again to judge the world. But he refused to grant 
the Pharisees' arrogant demand, and told them that they should have 
no other sign than the sign of the prophet Jonas. And what was that 
sign ? It was his own resurrection ; for Jonah's burial in the midst 
of the whale was a type of his burial in the heart of the earth ; and 
Jonah's escape through the mouth of the fish, was a type of his burst- 
ing the barriers of the tomb. 

It may surprise us to know that Jesus would be three days and 
three nights in his grave, seeing he only lay there from Friday evening 
to Sunday morning. But the Jews had a peculiar way of reckoning 
time : they considered a day and night as one period, and they counted 
a part of this period, as if it were the whole. Therefore, as Jesus was 
part of three days in the grave, he was there three days and three 
nights, according to the Jewish mode of speaking. 

The Saviour well knew that the Pharisees would not acknowledge 
him to be the Son of God, even when he rose from the dead ; and so 
it proved ; for when he did rise, and when the history of his resurrec- 
tion was repeated to the chief priests and elders, how did they act ? 
They bribed the soldiers who had guarded the tomb to deny the fact, 
and to say that the disciples had stolen his body away while they slept. 

Well, therefore, might Jesus contrast the men of Nineveh with the 
Pharisees. The Ninevites repented when Jonah declared that in forty 
days their city should be destroyed. It is remarkable that in forty 
years from the time of our Saviour's resurrection, Jerusalem was de- 
stroyed, because the Jews repented not. The Pharisees despised the 
Ninevites on account of their being Gentiles, yet these Gentiles were 
far better than themselves. 

The Lord then brought forward an instance of another Gentile who 
acted in an opposite manner from the Pharisees : it was the queen of 
Sheba, who came from a distant country to receive instruction from 
Solomon. There have been heathens in later days who have resem- 
bled this ancient sovereign in her desire to obtain heavenly wisdom. 
Some years ago, two natives of Ceylon left their spicy isle, and came 
to dwell for awhile in our cold climate, that they might learn the gos- 
pel of the blessed God. When they were about to return home, a 
friend presented to them a magnificent mirror, but they refused to ac- 
cept it. They said to their venerable teacher, Dr. Adam Clarke, 
" Tell our friend we cannot accept the mirror. We will take nothing 
home with us but the Bible you gave us and the gospel of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. To learn that gospel we crossed the ocean, and with it 
alone will we cross it again." 

How unlike these disinterested Cingalese are those who for worldly 
reasons forsake the preaching of the truth ! Whatever may be the 
advantages for which they give up that joyful sound, they make a poor 
exchange. Happy are those who can say with David, " One thing 



APRIL 6.] THE PARABLE OF THE UNCLEAN SPIRIT. 173 

have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in 
the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of 
the Lord, and to inquire in his temple." (Ps. xxvii. 4.) 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Kings X. The Queen of Sheba, 



Matt. XII. 43-45. — The parable of the unclean spirit. 

It was in this alarming manner that our Saviour concluded his re- 
bukes to the wicked Pharisees. We can scarcely call this short history 
a parable, because it appears to be a literal account of an event that 
has taken place. Still it is a parable, because it is partly figurative ; 
the heart of a man is likened to a house. And is it really true that 
unclean spirits make the hearts of men their habitation ? How can we 
doubt what our Saviour has so plainly declared ? 

Sometimes an evil spirit forsakes his habitation. This devil having 
left his house, travelled far through dry, or desert places, but found no 
rest. It seems probable that in the course of his wanderings he found 
no opportunity of injuring souls. Our enemy, we know, walks about 
seeking whom he may devour. Sometimes there is a restraint laid 
upon him, and he cannot perpetrate the evil that he desires ; for he can 
do nothing without the permission of God. Perhaps this devil had 
left the man, hoping to make new conquests, and to increase the num- 
ber of his victims ; but when disappointed, he thinks of returning to 
his old abode. He says, " I will return unto my house, whence I 
came out." He claims the heart as his own property ; he says, " My 
house." He returns and finds no obstacle to regaining possession of 
the soul he once inhabited. The house is not the less acceptable to 
him, because it is swept and garnished, or adorned. Nothing pleases 
Satan more than a show of piety in a wicked heart. The unclean 
spirit is not satisfied to dwell alone, but finds seven of his fellows to 
share his spoil. He selects some more wicked than himself, as his 
associates. There are degrees of wickedness even among devils, and 
no doubt pre-eminence in wickedness is their glory. It had been bet- 
ter for this miserable man, if the first inmate of his heart had never 
quitted it. But ! how infinitely better would it have been for him, 
if, when the devil had left him, he had opened his heart to the gracious 
Saviour ! Jesus is willing to come whenever he is invited ; often he 
stands and knocks, and no man opens the door, and at length he with- 
draws, no more to return. Then the wretched soul must become the 
prey of demons. Even as a house forsaken by man soon becomes 
the habitation of beasts and birds, so does the heart, when Jesus is ab- 
sent, become the habitation of the spirits of hell. 

The greater part of the Pharisees did not profit from the warning 



174 CHRIST'S MOTHER AND BRETHREN. [APRIL 7. 

Jesus gave them ; they grew more and more wicked ; they crucified 
the Lord of glory, and persecuted his apostles. But let us profit from 
it, and never count ourselves safe, except Jesus reign in our hearts. 
Saul, the King of Israel, appears to have been such a man as our Sa- 
viour described in this parable. The evil spirit that once tormented 
him, departed for a season, but soon returned and rendered him more 
wicked than before. All the evening of his days was spent in ma- 
licious persecutions of the innocent David, till he filled up the measure 
of his iniquity by consulting the witch of Endor. 

Real conversion of the heart is the only preservative from Satan's 
malice. True believers alone are secure. There are evil days, days 
of peculiar temptation that come upon them, but neither seven wicked 
spirits, nor seventy times seven, can harm the heart fortified by the 
towers and bulwarks of faith. It is written, " He that is begotten of 
God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not," (1 John 
v. 18.) And how does he keep himself? He remembers his Lord's 
command, " Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation." 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Sam. XXVIII. The witch of Endor. 



Matt. XII. 46 to end. — He describes who* are his mother and his 

brethren. 

Such were the gentle words which our Saviour added to a discourse 
containing many severe reproofs and awful warnings. The former 
discourse, recorded in Matthew xi., also ended with sweet encourage- 
ment : " Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden." But 
the passage we have just read is still more condescending ! Who can 
value enough the honor of being mother, brother, and sister of the 
Lord of heaven and earth ! How wonderful it is that sinners like our- 
selves should be raised to the enjoyment of such a privilege ! 

What was the occasion on which the Saviour uttered the blessing to 
which we have just alluded ? His mother and brethren desired to 
speak with him, but were unable to approach on account of the crowd 
that surrounded him. By the term " brethren," we must understand 
not only those whom we call brethren, but also more distant relations. 
It is probable that they wished from motives of affection to interrupt 
his labors, which appeared too severe for his strength. Why would 
not Jesus comply with their request ? Because he saw multitudes of 
precious souls thronging around him, eager to hear the words of eter- 
nal life. Instead of admitting his relations immediately to his pres- 
ence, he pronounced a blessing on his own disciples ; saying, " Behold 
my mother and my brethren." 

We must not suppose that he felt no regard for his mother, or for 



APRIL 7.] CHRIST'S MOTHER AND BRETHREN. 175 

any of his relations, for we know that he bore to his mother such af- 
fection, that when hanging on the cross, he commended her with his 
expiring breath to the care of his beloved disciple. But by this ex- 
pression, " Who is my mother ? and who are my brethren ?" he taught 
us, that those united to him in spirit are nearer to him than those re- 
lated to him in the flesh. His mother, indeed, was spiritually con- 
nected with him, for she was a true believer. Before the birth of her 
divine Son, she said, " My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour ;" 
therefore he loved her both as his mother, and as his own redeemed. 
But he did not love her alone ; he loved all those who did the will of 
his Father in heaven. 

It was to do his Father's will that he came down from heaven ; as 
he said, " I came down from heaven, not to do mine, own will, but the 
will of him that sent me ;" (John vi. 38 ;) and he always did it per- 
fectly. On one occasion he declared, " I have kept my Father's com- 
mandments, and abide in his love." How different is the state of the 
world ! Every one by nature does his own will. Children soon be- 
tray their evil nature by striving to do their own, and not their parents' 
will. When they grow older, and hear the commandments of God, 
naturally they show no inclination to obey. 

As soon as a person is converted, he begins to desire to do God's 
will. The 119th Psalm shows us how earnestly David sought to 
please his heavenly Father : " that my ways were directed to keep 
thy statutes," (verse 5.) " Behold I have longed after thy precepts ; 
quicken me in thy righteousness," (verse 40.) But why did David 
utter these prayers ? Because he felt that he could not of himself do 
God's will ; therefore he prayed for grace from on high. 

The holy apostle Paul could say, " I delight in the law of God after 
the inward man." Yet the sin of his nature troubled him. He said, 
" 1 see a law in my members, warring against the law of my mind." 
All the children of God endure the same inward struggles that Paul 
and David endured. Each of them can say, 

" Though I fail, I weep ; 
Though I halt in pace, 
Yet I creep 
To the throne of grace." 

But though they do not keep the Father's commandments perfectly, 
as Jesus did, they are comforted by knowing that He loves them. 

It must have been delightful to hear him say on earth, " Behold 
my mother and my brethren !" How endearing was his attitude when 
he stretched forth his hands, to point out the objects of his love ! The 
day will come when he will enclose his redeemed family in his ever- 
lasting arms, and declare, " Behold my mother and my brethren." 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Ps. CXIX. 1-32. Prayers for grace to do the will of God. 



176 THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER. [ APRIL 8. 



Matt. XIII. 1-18. — Christ relates the parable of the sower, and ex- 
plains why he spake in parables. 

We have much reason to rejoice that our blessed Saviour explained 
the parable of the Sower ; for had he not done so, many different opin- 
ions respecting its meaning would have been held, but now the signi- 
fication is fixed and certain. We will, however, defer the considera- 
tion of it until we read our Lord's explanation. 

After Jesus had finished his public discourse, he conversed privately 
with his disciples. In this conversation he declared some truths which 
have been much objected to by the world. His disciples inquired why 
he spoke in parables. In his reply, their Master unfolded some of the 
secrets of his Father's government. Can any thing be so interesting 
as the ways of God towards man ! In this passage some light is shed 
upon them. 

Jesus said to his disciples, " Unto you it is given to know the mys- 
teries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." We 
learn from this declaration that heavenly knowledge is the gift of God. 
All men by nature are without the knowledge of their Maker, as it is 
written, " There is none that understandeth ; there is none that seeketh 
after God." When Adam sinned, he lost the knowledge of his God, 
and all his children are born in this state of ignorance. They are not 
only ignorant of God : they have no desire to know him. There are 
many things of which we may be ignorant, yet which we should much 
like to learn. If a man well skilled in some useful art were to offer to 
teach gratuitously all who wished to learn, many would flock around 
him and become his scholars : for we naturally desire to learn useful 
arts. But though God offers to teach all who are willing to be in- 
structed, very few come to him and say, " Teach me to do thy will." 
Nor would any come and make this prayer, unless God first, by his 
Holy Spirit, put the desire into the heart. When this desire is felt, 
then the prayer is made, and the longing soul is taught. This is what 
Jesus meant when he said, "Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, 
and he shall have more abundance." There is an interesting account 
contained in a tract called " Jejana," of a little Hottentot girl who ear- 
nestly desired to know God. A black man, who knew but little 
himself, directed her to make this prayer, " Lord, help me ; Lord, teach 
me." This prayer she often uttered when she knelt alone in some 
thicket. Such was her simplicity, that she added, " For David says 
thou wilt." The pious black man's name was David. And did God 
fulfil his promise to this poor child 1 Assuredly he did. She became 
known to a faithful missionary, who took her into his service, and fully 
instructed her in the gospel of Christ. 

Such is God's goodness towards those who desire to know r him. 
The Pharisees, far from having this desire, were determined to reject 
the warnings of the Saviour ; therefore God gave them up to the 



APRIL 9.] THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER. 177 

blindness and deafness that they loved. Every warning they rejected 
closed their eyes in deeper night. 

How awful was their condition ! But all are in danger of falling 
into it, who are not obeying the gospel call. Those who hear the 
Bible, read from day to day — who listen to the preacher's earnest en- 
treaties from Sabbath to Sabbath, — and who yet make no effort to go 
to Christ, are becoming more hardened and more difficult to be con- 
verted. How blessed might our eyes be, for round us the true light 
shines ! Yet how doubly cursed will these eyes be, if we wilfully 
close them against that light. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. XXV. The secret of the Lord. 



Matt. XIII. 18-21. — The explanation of the former part of the para- 

ble of the sower. 

There is one circumstance which renders this parable peculiarly 
interesting. It describes the characters of all persons who hear the 
gospel ; therefore it must describe ours. Let us endeavor to discover 
by the help of God to which class we belong. 

First : there are the way-side .hearers : these seem to be careless 
persons, whose minds are so trifling that though they hear the words 
of the preacher, they do not reflect upon their meaning. We know 
that the seed represents the word of God, whether spoken by faithful 
ministers and parents, or instructors or friends, or in whatever way 
conveyed to the mind. But though the seed is good, it does not spring 
up in every heart. Why does it not? Because every heart is not 
prepared to receive it. As a beaten path is a soil not prepared to re- 
ceive seed, so a heart full of trifling thoughts is not prepared to receive 
the gospel. Such a heart finds religious instruction a weariness, and 
rejoices when the sermon is over, and the chapter is finished. 

It is to be feared that every congregation contains many of these 
careless hearers, who hear the sermons with little interest ; but even 
on the way-side, a seed might occasionally spring up, were it not for 
the passers by who tread it down, and for the birds who pick it up. 

How can we calculate upon the amount of good that is prevented 
by those spirits that throng the air! They are all marshalled under 
one experienced commander, even that old serpent who tempted our 
first parents. Satan knows how to choose the most favorable oppor- 
tunities for exerting his power. It is after faithful sermons have been 
preached that his hosts are on the alert to efface any impression that 
may have been made. The persons who lie most exposed to his at- 
tacks are the inconsiderate, who have offered up no prayers for a bless- 
ing on the instructions they have received. What havoc is made every 

23 



178 THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER. [ APRIL 10. 

Sabbath night and every Monday morning in the paths where the 
faithful preacher was seen sowing just before ! If Satan found people 
endeavoring to fix the sermon in their hearts by prayer and meditation, 
he would not have such great success. But is it surprising that he 
succeeds, when he finds so many who neglect secret prayer ! 

The next class of hearers appear at first sight more hopeful than the 
wayside hearers. The seed sometimes falls on stony ground, where 
there is a little light, though dry earth ; it soon springs up, but is 
soon withered by the heat of the sun. 

The stony ground hearers receive the word with joy. When they 
hear the gospel, they attend, they remember, they are delighted, they 
determine to be Christians ; they begin to do many things that are 
right, but when they find difficulties in their way they change their 
minds, and become as worldly as before. What is the reason of this ? 
It is that their hearts were never softened by the Holy Spirit. They 
never were convinced of sin, they never repented. Repentance is the 
beginning of religion. Our Saviour's first sermon was, " Repent." 
If we think we can be Christians without repentance we are mistaken. 
We must be brought to see what ungrateful creatures we have been to 
our best Friend. We must be led to mourn over such ingratitude, 
and to entreat for pardon and grace. Paul sat three days after his 
conversion fasting, before Ananias came and said, " Arise and be bap- 
tized, and wash away thy sins." Christians may feel different degrees 
of grief; but they all grieve. Those who have felt no godly sorrow 
will easily be induced to return to the world ; they will never consent 
to make any great sacrifice for Christ's sake. They cannot resolve 
to give up a brilliant prospect, or to lose an advantageous situation, or 
to forfeit the favor of honorable persons. No ; they will sooner give 
up their religious profession, lose their hopes of heaven, and forfeit the 
favor of the glorious God. 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Tim. IV. Demas. 



Matt. XIII. 22, 23. — The explanation of the latter part of the 
parable of the sower. 

Let us now consider the two latter kind of hearers which our Sa- 
viour has described. 

One is the thorny ground hearer : the soil of his heart is not so dry 
and barren as that of the stony ground hearer. The word sinks into 
it, and springs up, and blossoms, and buds, and produces fruit ; but, 
alas ! not good fruit. What is the reason of this failure ? Thorns 
have grown up with the good seed, and have injured the heavenly 
plants. The thorns may have appeared very small and insignificant 



APRIL 10.J THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER, 179 

when first the seed was sown, but they increased in strength, and at 
length destroyed the hopes of the husbandman. 

We cannot be at a loss to discover what the thorns represent ; for 
our Lord distinctly declared them to be cares, riches, pleasures, and 
the lusts of other things. There are some people, who, when they 
hear the word, are arrested, touched, convinced, persuaded. They 
acknowledge they are sinners, they see Christ is the only Saviour ; 
they feel the value of their souls, and they desire to lead a religious 
life. But their affections are drawn off from God by worldly things. 
The stony ground hearers were induced to abandon their profession 
through fear of persecution ; the thorny ground hearers, while they 
continue to make a profession of religion, are enslaved by the love of 
the world. They attempt to serve God and mammon. What must 
be the result of such an attempt ? Destruction. " For if any man 
love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 

The world wears many different forms, and tries to win us under 
various disguises. According to our age, our dispositions, and our 
circumstances will be our temptations. Pleasure allures the young, 
and care entangles the old : reputation is the desire of one, ease is pre- 
ferred by another ; but each of these is a thorn, and will prevent the 
good seed flourishing in the heart. What then can we do to avoid 
making a fruitless profession ? We must apply to God to take the 
thorns out of our hearts ; we cannot do it ourselves, but God is willing 
to do it for us. He can quench every inordinate desire, he can over- 
throw every earthly idol ; he can come with sovereign power, and 
reign in our hearts. 

No heart by nature is an honest and good heart. " There is none 
that understandeth and that seeketh after God." Every heart of na- 
ture is like the way-side, the stony ground or the thorny ground. God 
alone can prepare sinners to receive his word. He can plough up the 
way-side, can take away the stones, and can pluck out the thorns. 

There is a gracious promise in the Scriptures that He desires us to 
remember : " I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and 
I will give you a heart of flesh." Let us plead this promise in prayer. 
There is abundance of good seed scattered all over this land — thou- 
sands of Bibles, and millions of tracts. Why are not more souls con- 
verted ? The hearts of men are unprepared. 

Has God graciously prepared our hearts ? Have we received the 
word, and brought forth fruit ? If it be so with regard to any of us, 
to Him be all the praise who softened our hard hearts. Perhaps we 
can remember the time when sermons made no impression upon us, 
when holy counsels were disregarded, and even a mother's entreaties 
despised. And how did God prepare our hearts ? Did He make us 
eat the bitter fruits of our works, till, like the prodigal, we said, " I 
will arise and go unto my Father ?" Or did He subdue us in a sudden 
manner, as He did Paul, when He stopped him in the midst of his 
wicked career, ploughing up his heart by the Spirit, as the seed was 



180 THE PARABLE OF THE WHEAT AND TARES. [APRIL 11. 

cast in, " Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ?" Or did He lead us 
by gentle and gradual, methods to seek his face, watering the ridges 
of our hearts, settling the furrows, making it soft with showers, and 
then blessing the springing of His word ? (Ps. lxv.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Ez. XXXVI. 22 to end. The heart of flesh. 



Matt. XIII. 24-30.— The parable of the wheat and tares, with the 
explanation contained in ver. 36-43. 

The parable of the wheat and tares in some respects resembles that 
of the Sower of the seed, but it differs from it in this respect. In 
the parable of the Sower we heard only of good seed ; here we read 
also of bad seed. While Christ, by his faithful ministers, sows good 
seed, or the pure gospel, the devil by his servants sows bad seed, or 
false doctrines. 

The good seed, where it takes root and prospers, produces the 
children of the kingdom, or true believers, while bad seed produces 
hypocrites, formalists, heretics, and other wicked characters, who are 
the children of the devil. We here behold the great danger to which 
we lie exposed, of having bad seed sown in our hearts. If we re- 
ceive not the gospel, we shall receive some false doctrine. We all 
must have some kind of religion, and if we do not receive the truth in 
the love of it, we shall cling to our own foolish imaginations, or to 
some errors that we have heard ; and shall flatter ourselves with the 
hope of reaching heaven by some other way than the Scriptures have 
revealed. 

The bad seed is sown cunningly by the great enemy. Often he 
employs persons who appear religious to sow it ; so that the hearers 
are deceived, and fancy that they are receiving good seed. But no 
seed is good but the doctrine of Scripture. How carefully we ought 
to study the Scriptures ! reading them daily, endeavoring to under- 
stand their meaning, asking the help of pious people ; above all, upon 
our knees entreating to be taught of God. We ought to believe no 
doctrine that cannot be clearly proved from the Scriptures ; for, if it 
cannot be found there, it must be bad seed. 

We see also from this parable, that the wheat and tares often re- 
semble each other so much, that it is difficult to distinguish between 
them. For why did the lord of the field forbid his servants to pull up 
the tares ? It was for fear lest they should mistake, and pull up 
wheat instead of tares. The servants represent ministers ; they can- 
not always distinguish between true and false believers. It is God 
alone who knows the heart ; he knows them that are his, and he alone 



APRIL 12.] JESUS ENCOURAGES HIS DISCIPLES. 181 

knows it with certainty. The disciples did not know that Judas 
was a devil; but Jesus knew it from the beginning. When Saul of 
Tarsus was first converted, the disciples at Jerusalem did not know 
that he was sincere, and were for some time afraid to receive him. 
We should not therefore be too much delighted with the approbation 
of our fellow-Christians, nor too much disquieted by their suspicions. 
We should come to God, and entreat him to examine our hearts. 
Like David, each should say, " Search me, and try me, and see 
if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way ever- 
lasting." 

But though true and false believers may appear so much alike in 
this w r orld, the hour will arrive when their' true characters will be 
made known. There is really the greatest difference between the 
character of the weakest child of God and the most plausible hypo- 
crite. The hypocrite may appear even better than the child of God ; 
but there is a difference in their hearts, which will cause them to be 
separated from each other to all eternity. God. will give his angels 
wisdom to discern between the righteous and the wicked: they will 
separate many who have partaken of the same ordinances and lived in 
the same family. 

. The wicked shall be bound in bundles. Perhaps this expression is 
intended to show how they will add to each other's misery by mutual 
reproaches. The righteous will shine forth as the sun without one 
spot of sin to darken their brightness. It has been well said that 
three things will surprise us, if we enter heaven : first, to see so many 
there whom we did not expect to see ; secondly, to miss so many 
whom we did expect to see ; and thirdly, to find ourselves there ; yes, 
ourselves, we who are so unworthy — lifted up from the dust, and ex- 
alted to a throne. O ! may this surprise be ours ! for there is another 
surprise that awaits many seeming Christians, who will confidently 
cry out, "Lord, Lord, open to us." Now, therefore, let us judge our- 
selves, that we may not be condemned with the world. 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Tim. II. False doctrines. 



Mark IV. 21-29. — Jesus encourages his disciples to communicate the 

word. 

This is part of a private conversation between our Lord and his 
apostles. If our minds were in a right state, how much more deeply 
should we be interested in such scenes than in the worldly trifles that 
surround us. 

What did our Saviour say in these confidential moments? He 



182 JESUS ENCOURAGES HIS DISCIPLES. [APRIL 12 

compared his disciples to a candle which he had lighted by his in- 
structions, and was going to make burn still brighter by his explana- 
tion of the parables he had related in public. For what purpose did 
he give them light ? that they might conceal it 1 No ; but that they 
might set it upon a candlestick, and in public proclaim their Lord's 
secret communications. Jesus said, " There is nothing hid which 
shall not be manifested." He hid many holy truths under parables, 
but these truths were to be made manifest by the apostles' preaching. 
This command was fulfilled, after his ascension. Then the apostles 
could say, that their sound had gone forth to the ends of the world. 
Then was fulfilled the prophecy, " How beautiful upon the mountains 
are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings." We hear these 
glorious secrets : they are contained in the epistles, where the secret 
counsel of God is revealed. Do we attend to these things ? Do we 
look into them, as the angels do ? or are we indifferent ? Have we 
need of the rousing command of our Saviour ? "If any man have 
ears to hear, let him hear." 

The Lord encouraged his disciples to preach the truth, saying, 
" With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." If 
they meted out, or gave the truth which they had received, abundantly 
to others, they should themselves receive abundantly from Christ, spir- 
itual blessings. And so it is now : " He that watereth others, shall be 
watered also himself." In trying to do good to others, we gain a bless- 
ing on our own souls. 

Our Saviour then related a short parable to encourage his disciples 
still more to sow the seed of the word. He spoke of a man who sow- 
ed seed, and who slept and rose night and day ; that is, who, after sow- 
ing the seed, went about his usual business, sleeping at night and 
rising in the day ; and who, after some time, found the seed had sprung 
up, but not by his own power, for he could not even tell how it had 
sprung up. God, who had made it spring up, made it grow also with- 
out his assistance, till it was ripe and fit to be cut down. 

Thus a minister, after sowing the seed of the word, is obliged to 
leave the success with God ; for he cannot make it spring up in the 
heart, neither can he even understand how souls are converted ; for 
the manner in which men are born of the Spirit is even a greater mys- 
tery than the way in which the seed is quickened in the earth. Yet 
the hearts of ministers are often rejoiced by seeing the effects of the 
words they have spoken. Sometimes, however, the seed they sowed 
does not spring up till after their death ; nevertheless, at the harvest of 
the last day, souls who heard their words shall be their crown and re- 
joicing. Now is the time to sow, though in tears, knowing we shall 
reap in joy. 

Let all who know the word seek to sow it also, the ugh it be only in 
the heart of a little child ; for sowers on earth shall certainly be reap- 
ers in heaven. But let us remember that the seed sown does not come 
to perfection immediately : first, the blade appears, then the ear, at last 



APRIL 13.] THE MUSTARD-SEED AND THE LEAVEN. 183 

the full corn in the ear. We must, therefore, be patient with young 
converts. If we ourselves know any thing of Christ now, do we not 
feel that we have been grown very slowly ? 

It is refreshing to behold a Christian who is like full corn in the ear. 
Perhaps we have had the privilege of seeing such a person. It may be 
some poor destitute creature, lodging in a garret, has breathed a spirit 
that we longed to imbibe, and we have felt, while listening to her heav- 
enly words, " It is good to be here." Do we desire to grow in grace? 
It is a good desire. The Lord will answer prayer, and give us more 
faith and love, and every heavenly grace, and then treasure us up in his 
eternal garner. 

Evening Scripture portion. Eccl. XL Sowing seed. 



Matt. XIII. 31-35. — Parables of the mustard-seed and of the leaven. 

We will now consider several short parables that our Saviour rela- 
ted, but of which he gave no interpretation ; still we may endeavor 
from other parts of Scripture to discover their meaning. The seed of 
the mustard-tree is smaller in proportion to the size of the tree it pro- 
duces, than any other seed. In eastern countries the mustard-tree has 
immense spreading branches, which afford a fit shelter for the birds. 

The religion of Christ was very small in its beginning. Behold the 
stable in Bethlehem, and that weak babe sleeping in the manger. 
From him shall spring a multitude that no man can number, of glorious 
saints, who throughout eternity shall surround the throne of God. 
These his spiritual children shall exceed the stars in multitude. Al- 
ready how wonderfully has the Christian religion spread ! though 
preached at first by twelve poor unlearned men — the kings of many 
nations profess to believe in it. It shall spread yet further, till men shall 
not merely profess the name of Christ, but till all shall praise him with 
unfeigned lips — till all shall know the Lord from the greatest unto the 
least. 

The next parable, of the leaven that leavened by degrees a large 
quantity of meal, much resembles the parable of the mustard-tree, and 
it has been generally supposed to have nearly the same meaning. 
There is one great difference between the parables ; the growth of the 
mustard-tree is open ; the effects of the leaven in the meal are secret. 
Some persons have thought that while the growth of the mustard-tree 
represents the progress of the gospel in the world, the leavening of the 
meal shows its influence in the heart. The leaven is generally consid- 
ered to signify the word of God, which works gradually and silently in 
the heart, as leaven works in meal. 

But a learned writer* has lately suggested, that as leaven is used in 

* Rev. Alfred Jenour. 



184 THE HIDDEN TREASURE. [ APRIL 14. 

other places to represent wickedness, it may represent it here also. St. 
Paul says, in his epistle to the Corinthians, " Purge out therefore the 
old leaven, that ye may be a new lump." (1 Cor. v. 7.) And Christ 
once said to his disciples, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and 
of the Sadducees ;" by which he meant their false doctrine. (Matt. xvi. 
12.) If leaven represents wickedness in this parable, then we learn 
from it how artfully Satan corrupts the pure religion of Christ ; just as 
he sows tares among the wheat, so he mixes falsehood with truth. 

By relating parables, our Lord fulfilled the prophecy of the seventy- 
eighth Psalm : " I will open my mouth in di parable ; I will utter dark 
sayings of old." If we refer to that psalm, we shall find that it con- 
tains a history of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, and of 
their passing through the wilderness. Was. this history a parable? 
Yes, it was a parable, or dark saying, for all that happened to Israel 
had a hidden meaning. The apostle Paul, speaking of the afflictions 
of Israel, declares — "All these things happened unto them forensam- 
ples ; and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of 
the world are come." (1 Cor. x. 11.) There is one event especially 
that took place in the wilderness, which is full of the richest instruc- 
tion. That event is the lifting up of the brazen serpent. Few, per- 
haps, understood at the time what it signified. But we see in that ser- 
pent the image of Jesus in the likeness of sinful flesh, crucified for 
our iniquities. 

The Bible is full of dark sayings like this. Men naturally love mys- 
teries and wonders. Why do they not love the Bible ? Why does 
it lie neglected, while many foolish and hurtful books are eagerly de- 
voured ? Because men love sin, and the Bible speaks against it. 
Therefore St. Paul exhorts us to lay aside all malice, and guile, and hy- 
pocrisies, and envies, and evil speakings, that as new-born babes we 
may desire the sincere milk of the word. We cannot relish the Bible 
while we delight in sin. 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Ps. LXXVIII. 1-33. God's dealings with Israel 



Matt. XIII. 44-46. — The parables of the hidden treasure and of the 

pearls. 

We should be much astonished if a man were to show such eager- 
ness to possess a common field, that he was willing to give any price 
for it. But if we afterwards found that he had discovered in it a mine 
of precious ore, we should not be surprised at his anxiety to obtain the 
field, even at a very high price. 



APRIL 15.] THE PARABLE OF THE FISHING-NET. 185 

Now it is in like manner that the world wonders at the eagerness of 
the believer to secure heavenly blessings. They see no such attraction 
in religion as to account for his earnestness, and they are ready to con- 
sider him a fool and a madman. But they have not discovered the 
treasure which he has discovered. Not that he hides it from them, 
(as the man in the parable did,) but he cannot persuade them to be- 
lieve his testimony. In vain he assures them that true joy is to be 
found in Christ alone ; they reply that religion is full of gloom and 
restraint, and that it is only fit for the sick, or the sorrowful. The be- 
liever knows well that the favor of God is of infinite value ; he buys 
the field, he secures the treasure, and rejoices in his possession. Now 
is the time when the field may be bought.- That time will soon be 
past. Awful and endless will be the regrets of those who neglected 
the opportunity of laying hold on eternal life. 

In the next parable, a man is represented seeking goodly pearls. 
By nature we all seek for happiness ; but we can never find it, except 
in the knowledge of Christ; nor can we find it there, unless we are 
willing to renounce all sinful pleasures for his sake. Augustine, the 
African bishop, (who lived four hundred years after Christ,) endured 
many sharp struggles before he would consent to part with his sins. 
But at length the grace of God subdued his stubborn heart. He cast 
himself down before the Lord under a fig-tree, and prayed, saying, 
" How long, Lord, wilt thou be angry ? Forever ? Remember not 
my old iniquities. How long shall. I say ' To-morrow V Why should 
not this hour put an end to my slavery V God, by whose Spirit this 
prayer was suggested,, answered it and revealed Christ to Augustine's 
soul. Then this man, once so miserable, could say, " How sweet 
was it in a moment to be free from those delightful vanities, to love 
which had been my dread — to. part with which — was now my joy ! 
Thou didst cast them' out, O my true and highest delight; — and then, 
O sweeter than all pleasure, enteredst in their room. How was my 
mind set free from the gnawing cares of sinful passions, and I conversed 
intimately with Thee, my Light, my Riches, my Saviour, and my 
God." Surely this penitent sinner had now found the Pearl of great 
price. Can we say that Jesus is precious to our hearts? Upon a 
dying bed we should feel that none but He could comfort or save us 
— what should we do, if we had not found him then ? 

Evening Scripture portion. Job XXVIII. The preciousness of wisdom. 



Matt. XIII. 47 to 52.— -The parable of the fishing -net. 

, The parable of the net cast into the sea was calculated particularly 
to interest the disciples, many of whom were fishermen. They were 

24 



186 THE PARABLE OF THE FISHING-NET. [aPRIL 15 

accustomed, after the toils of the day, to sort the fishes they had taken. 
This employment affords a lively image of the distinctions that will 
be made at the last day. The net represents the word of the Gospel, 
which is preached to many, and which many profess to believe. The 
disciples were shortly to begin the work of preaching it. Great suc- 
cess would accompany their endeavors ; but yet that success w r ould 
be attended by much disappointment. Many to whom they. preached 
w r ould prove hypocrites. Some of these would be detected in their 
lifetime, but others not till the judgment-day. 

Unbelievers have urged, as an objection against the Christian religion, 
that hypocrites are found among professed believers ! But this is rather 
a 'proof of its truth, than an objection. If no hypocrites existed, how 
could we account for our Saviour's declaring that they would arise in 
the church ? 

A striking instance was afforded of the truth of our Lord's words in 
the history of seven missionaries who labored many years ago in Tahiti. 
Would you not have concluded that men who had sacrificed country 
and friends in order to instruct savages, must have been true Christians ? 
But out of these seven two proved reprobates. The force of tempta- 
tion brought their real character to light. Had they remained in their 
own country, it is possible that no temptation might have arisen strong 
enough to entice them into open sin ; but surrounded by savages, they 
became immoral in their lives, and, it is to be feared, continued im- 
penitent till death. What a lesson does this fact afford ! Should it 
not lead us to examine ourselves, and to call upon God to search us 
and try us, lest we should deceive ourselves by a mere form of godli- 
ness ? Such a deception can last but a short time. The great sorting 
day approaches ; then angels will divide the good from the bad, the 
true believer from the empty professor. 

When our Saviour had concluded his parables, he asked his dis- 
ciples whether they understood them ; for he had not interpreted them 
all. They replied, Yes, Lord. Then he reminded them of the use 
they should make of the things they had learned ; they should store 
them up in their minds, that they might have them ready upon every 
occasion ; even as a master of a family provides all things necessary 
for different circumstances, and produces them when wanted. The 
teachers among the Jews were called Scribes. The disciples were to 
become teachers, and would need a great store of truths for the in- 
struction of others. Some of these truths might be called " new''' truths, 
because not known to them before, and some might be called " old" 
truths, because already familiar to their minds. 

We ought to be storing up in our minds the things we have heard, 
gaining fresh knowledge of the Scriptures and deeper insight into their 
meaning. We cannot tell how soon we may need them for our own 
support in trial, or how useful we may find them in enlightening the 
ignorant, in strengthening the tempted, and in comforting the afflicted. 
It is very distressing when we see those we love sinking under trouble, 



APRIL. 16.] CHRIST SLEEPS IN THE STORM. 187 

to feel that we are not able to give them solid comfort. An affection- 
ate child has sometimes beheld a parent groaning under a burden of 
wo, and has felt, " I know there are consolations that might assuage 
her grief, but I cannot impart them ; for I have neglected the word of 
God." Then let us for the sake of others, as well as for ourselves, 
store our minds with the holy truths of God, that we may produce them 
when most needed. 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Acts XX. 17 to end. The apostle Paul's parting discourse to the elders at Miletus. 



Mark IV. 33 to end.— Christ sleeps in the storm and aioakes to still it. 

It was in this manner that the Lord Jesus ended a day of great la- 
bor. His friends in the midst of it had desired him to desist, but see- 
ing multitudes assembled to hear the word, he continued to teach. In 
order to be seen and heard more conveniently, he removed into a ship. 
The parable of the sower, and many others, were spoken by Jesus while 
he sat in a ship on the lake of Gennesareth. (See Mark iv. 1.) Af- 
terwards, he had a private conversation in the house with his disciples, 
when he explained his parables. In the evening he crossed the lake in 
a ship. 

Doubtless he knew of the approaching storm, though it appears that 
there were no signs of it observed by others, for many little ships 
accompanied him on his voyage. But he was not deterred by his 
knowledge of the coming storm from setting out, for he intended by it 
to teach his disciples an important lesson. 

They knew little of their Master's power, and still less of his 
love. The storm ought not to have alarmed them, because they were 
with Him. God intended to alarm Jonah by the storm that arose on 
the way to Tarsus, for the prophet was fleeing from his presence. We 
must not suppose, because difficulties and troubles arise, that we are 
doing wrong. Before we take any important step in life, we should 
examine the word of God with prayer, and ask pious persons to help 
us to discover from the Scriptures, whether it is a right step ; and if 
we feel assured that it is, no difficulties in the way ought to alarm us. 
Christians have observed that they have met with most hinderances in 
setting about those works which in the end have been most richly 
blessed. A vessel laden with missionaries has been captured by the 
enemy. Was that calamity a sign that God disapproved the holy 
purpose of his servants ? Assuredly not. Those who are walking in 
the commandments of the Lord, may walk without fear, and say in the 
midst of troubles, " None of these things move me." 

Our Saviour was displeased with the disciples' behavior in this storm. 



188 CHRIST DELIVERS THE DEMONIAC. [ APRIL 17. 

He was displeased by their want of faith. They doubted his love, 
and said, " Carest thou not that we perish ?" Because He slept, they 
thought he was indifferent to their distress. These are the thoughts 
that too often arise in our minds. Conscious that we are apt to forget 
the Lord, we fear that He has forgotten us ; for we naturally attrib- 
ute to others the feelings that we ourselves experience. Now his de- 
livering mercies are intended to remove these unbelieving thoughts, 
and to convince us of his exceeding power and love. For this purpose, 
he brings his children into straits, and to the very edge of destruction, 
that he may appear to their rescue in the last moment, and thus force 
them to believe in his fatherly tenderness. 

This is the meaning of the apostle in Rom. v. 3-5 : He says that he 
glories in tribulations. Why? Because they work patience, and pa- 
tience, experience. Experience of what ? Of God's power and love. 
And experience worketh hope. God's deliverances are intended to; 
strengthen our hopes of his mercy, and to convince us that he never 
will forsake us. And shall this hope be disappointed ? No ; this hope 
maketh not ashamed ; it shall never prove vain. 

The stilling of the storm on the lake of Gennesaret is calculated to 
lead our thoughts to another scene, and to remind us of that storm of 
God's wrath against our sins which Jesus stilled, not by his word, but 
by the sacrifice of himself. If we are enabled to trust in him, as our 
Saviour from hell, we need not fear any. storm that can arise. Let us 
never say, or even think, " Carest thou .not that we perish ?" It is a sin 
to entertain such a thought of Him who endured the cross that we 
might not perish forever and ever. He cares for us more than we care 
for ourselves ; he numbers the hairs of our heads, and watches over us 
with unceasing, unwearied love. 

Evening Scripture portion. Romans V. God's love to man. 



Mark V. 1-20. — Christ delivers the demoniac who dwelt among the 

tombs. 

The history of the poor demoniac affords a striking instance of 
the malice of devils, of the power of Christ, and of the wickedness 
of man. 

How great was the malice of the devils that assaulted this poor 
man ! They led him to dwell in solitary places among the tombs ; 
for in those days tombs were generally made in lonely spots, among 
barren hills and rocks. Cut off from the company of his fellows, he- 
spent his miserable days in crying, and cutting his own flesh ; and 
when his friends mercifully bound his hands in chains, and his feet in 



APRIL 17.] CHRIST DELIVERS THE DEMONIAC. 189 

fetters, he burst through these restraints and again escaped to his 
desolate abode. Thus he became a terror to the neighborhood, and a 
torment to himself. 

This is the state to which devils would reduce all men, if they were 
permitted to vent their malice. They do reduce numbers to a spiritual 
state which resembles that of the demoniac, tempting them to flee 
from God and his saints, to dwell among the wicked, and urging them 
to resist all attempts to do them good, and make them happy. 

Nor is the malice of devils confined to men. They love to torment 
even the brutes. These devils earnestly desired to enter into the 
swine, and then hurried them over the precipice, and plunged them in 
a watery grave. By this act they showed what they ivould have 
done to the man, had they not been restrained ; they would fain have 
hurled him into the pit of eternal destruction. There is not one 
single soul that could escape perdition, if it were not for the power of 
Christ. Even the devils were obliged to acknowledge his power. 
They believed and trembled. They could do nothing without his 
permission. They saw in him their future judge, who would at last 
condemn them to imprisonment in the lake of fire. In the mean 
while they had great wrath, knowing that they had but a short time 
in which to vent their malice, (as we read in Rev. xii. 12.) That 
short time is shorter now, and Satan continues to be diligent in using 
this short space in making efforts to enlarge his kingdom. 

We see in the conduct of the owners of the swine an instance of 
the wickedness of man. Untouched by the sight of him, who, lately 
a spectacle of terror, was now become gentle and peaceful, they only 
thought of the loss of their property. 

Does not the same disposition prevail now ? People will often 
show zeal for religion, as long as it does not interfere with their gains ; 
but as soon as they are in danger of suffering the slightest loss, through 
the spread of the gospel, they complain, and would sooner let souls 
perish than become poorer. 

Jesus was not astonished at this awful instance" of human de- 
pravity ; for he knew what was in man. So great was his compassion 
for these wicked men, that he bade the poor creature he had de- 
livered, endeavor to reclaim his unfeeling countrymen. With the 
same compassion ought we to view every proof of man's fallen 
nature. Have we not ourselves in times that are past desired Jesus 
to depart from us, fearing lest he should interfere with our worldly 
schemes ? How patiently has he borne our insults ! If now we 
feel the value of our souls, we are dismayed at the remembrance of 
those days when we preferred a prosperous earthly lot to heavenly 
knowledge. And if we now love the merciful Saviour, we cannot 
bear to think of the time when we cared not for his presence, — for 
that presence which we now esteem our supreme happiness. 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts XIX. 21 to end. Demetrius the silversmith. 



190 THE CALLING OF MATTHEW. [aPRIl18. 



Matt. IX. 9-13. — The calling of Matthew and the publican'' s feast. 

We have great reason to be interested in the calling of Matthew, 
for it was he who wrote the history of our Lord which we are now 
reading. It is supposed that his calling took place some time before 
the events we have lately considered ; but we have deferred noticing 
it, because the feast to publicans and sinners was given at this period 
of the ' history ; and it seemed most convenient to consider the calling 
and the feast at the same time. 

The other name of Matthew was Levi, and that name is used by 
two of the evangelists. He was a publican, or tax-gatherer. Persons 
of this class were detested by the Jews ; because, as the taxes 
were paid to the Romans, by whom the Jews had been conquered, 
none but the worst kind of people would undertake the odious office 
of collecting them ; and these people rendered themselves still more 
hateful by their dishonest practices. To this despised order of men, 
Matthew belonged at the time Jesus called him. He was found sitting 
by the sea-shore, receiving the duties upon the goods that were 
landed or embarked. Jesus saw him at the table, which was covered 
with moneys, and inclined his heart to obey his call, to leave all and 
follow him. 

And why did he choose a publican to be one of his apostles ? Did 
he not, by exalting those whom the world despised, intend to stain the 
pride of all human glory ? 

Matthew made a feast to his old companions in office, (and who 
were probably his companions in iniquity also,) that they might par- 
take in the high privilege of hearing the Lord converse. Nor did 
that gracious Lord turn away from these guests, polluted as they were 
by long habits of unrighteousness. The proud and envious Phari- 
sees scoffed at him for keeping such company. But he answered 
their taunts by a divine lesson and reproof. He taught them in a 
short parable his object in associating with men ; it was not to please 
himself, but to save them. 

How does he save them ? By healing their spiritual diseases ; 
therefore he is called the Physician of souls. Would we obtain his 
notice, we must come and spread our sins before him. A good 
physician will not waste his time in visiting the healthy, however 
honorable, but flies to the relief of the poorest creature that is 
dangerously ill. Neither will the Lord grant his presence to the self- 
righteous, however high in man's esteem ; but he will come and bless 
the humble and contrite soul, however deeply stained by crime, and 
degraded in the eyes of his fellow-creatures. 

Do we understand what that meaneth ? "I desired mercy and not 
sacrifice," (vi. 6.) It is a verse in the prophet Hosea. The Phari- 
sees knew the words well, but they understood not their meaning. 
Their behavior showed they understood it not. They blamed Jesus 



APRIL 19.] CHRIST EXPLAINS BY PARABLES. 191 

for showing mercy to perishing sinners ; and instead of showing any 
themselves, they only gave God sacrifice, or outward service. And 
why did they act thus ? Because they thought they were righteous. 
If they had really been righteous, they would have felt compassion 
for sinners. The angels, those spotless beings, take a deep interest 
in our fallen race, and rejoice over each sinner who repents. Though 
they have never felt the working of evil in their own hearts, yet they 
do not turn away from us with contempt and disgust. Bat men never 
feel compassion for their fellow-sinners, till they discover the wicked- 
ness of their own hearts. When David was deeply humbled by his 
transgressions, he felt anxious to save perishing souls. This was his 
prayer, "Restore unto me the joy of thy • salvation, and uphold me 
with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy way, and 
sinners shall be converted unto thee." 

The missionary Vanderkemp gave a beautiful example of the same 
spirit. Not only did he go out as a missionary to the heathen, but he 
desired to make the voyage to Africa in a convict-ship. His wish was 
granted. He went with a depraved troop ; but many of their hearts 
were melted during their voyage : some who had secretly filed ofT 
their chains, confessed what they had done, and quietly submitted to 
have them again riveted upon their hands and feet. Thirty-five died 
of putrid fever on the passage. Vanderkemp attended them in their 
last hours, and saw not a few, before they departed, full of joy and 
peace through believing in a crucified Saviour. 

Evening Scripture portion. Micah VI. Mercy better than sacrifice. 



Luke V. 33 to end. — Christ explains by parables why his disciples 

did not fast. 

This is a difficult passage, and it has been explained in different 
ways ; so that we can scarcely forbear wishing that our Saviour him- 
self had given an explanation of these parables. Yet surely he would 
not have left them unexplained, if it were not possible by attentive 
consideration to unravel their meaning. 

It was the disciples of that imprisoned saint, John the Baptist, who 
inquired why the disciples of Jesus never fasted. The Pharisees 
fasted often. As one of them boasted in his prayer, " I fast twice a 
week." These fastings were part of that righteousness by which they 
excited the admiration of the people, and by which they hoped to pur- 
chase heaven. John the Baptist had not taught his disciples to fast 
with such views. It was in grief for their sins that they fasted ; and 
it was with the same holy feelings John himself fasted. Jesus, how- 
ever, did not fast openly : how much he may have fasted in secret wq 



192 CHRIST EXPLAINS BY PARABLES. [ APRIL 19. 

know not ; but he was seen to eat and drink in the usual manner, and 
on that account was called a gluttonous man and a wine-bibber. We 
know this accusation was false, and that the holy Jesus set an ex- 
ample of temperance, as well as of every other virtue. Once, when 
very weary, he refused to eat, saying, " My meat is to do the will of 
him that sent me, and to finish his work." And at other seasons he 
" had no leisure so much as to eat," (Mark vi. 31.) 

The Lord related several little parables to explain his reasons for not 
teaching his disciples to fast. In the first parable he compared him- 
self to a bridegroom. This was a title that John himself had given 
him, saying, " He that hath the bride is the bridegroom." The Church 
was the bride : Christ was the bridegroom. The disciples, the min- 
isters, were compared by Jesus to the children of the bridechamber, 
or to the friends of the bridegroom, who could not mourn at the wed- 
ding. The disciples were too full of joy to fast when they were fol- 
lowing their Master from place to place, witnessing his miracles, and 
listening to his discourses. But the days would come when they 
would no longer enjoy the presence of the bridegroom, and when they 
would be called to endure heavy trials, to suffer hunger and thirst, and 
to be in fastings often. 

Jesus prepared his disciples, just before he left them, for the afflic- 
tions that awaited them. He said, "The time cometh that whosoever 
killeth you will think that he doeth God service," (John xvi. 2-4.) 
And he added, " These things I said not unto you at the beginning, 
because I was with you." In the same manner he often now protects 
a new convert from heavy trials. It is very common to 'find the en- 
trance upon a religious course fraught only with delight : the new con- 
vert is sometimes inclined to think that he shall weep no more, but 
pass his days in a course of uninterrupted usefulness and joy. But 
trial comes at last. 

The homely employment of mending garments was the subject of 
one of the Lord's parables. Every one who has ever repaired woollen 
garments, knows that it would be unwise to mend them with stiff un- 
prepared cloth. Another parable was taken from the eastern custom 
of putting wine into bottles of skins. These skins, when they were 
old, were unfit for new wine, because they were then too weak to bear 
its fermentation. These two parables seem to have a similar meaning. 
Did they not allude to the present weakness of the disciples 1 They 
were new converts, and not able yet to suffer great trials. For 
though garments and skin-bottles are strong at first and weak after- 
wards, it is just the contrary with believers ; they are weak at first and 
strong afterwards. Peter was so weak at first, that he was induced by 
a few scornful speeches to deny his Master ; but he was so strong af- 
terwards, that he was able to bear crucifixion for his sake. 

The Lord concluded his discourse with another parable : " No man 
also having drunk old wine, straightway desireth new : for he saith, 
The old is better." The gospel is like the best wine. Jesus gave 



APRIL 20.] CHRIST HEALS THE WOMAN. 193 

this wine to the weeping penitent, when he said, ' Thy sins are for- 
given thee." He gave it to his beloved disciples when he said, " In my 
Father's house are many mansions : I go to prepare a place for you." 
He gave it to the dying thief, when he said, u To-day shalt thou be 
with me in Paradise." Has he given it to us ? He has offered it to 
us. These are his words : " Look unto me and be ye saved, all the 
ends of the earth," (Is. xlv. 22.) If we have obeyed this call, and be- 
lieved in Jesus with our hearts, then we have tasted the best wine ; 
then we enjoy true happiness, and shall enjoy it forever ; for " Blessed 
are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." To whom 
does this blessedness belong ? Not to those who are striving by their 
good works to gain God's favor, but to those who " believe on Him 
that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead ; who was delivered foi 
our offences, and was raised again for our justification." 

Evening Scripture portion. Rom. IV. Justification by faith. 



Luke VIII. 40-48. — Christ heals the woman who touched him in the 



thron 



'O 



Though the Gadarenes desired the Lord Jesus to depart out of their 
coasts, there were others who gladly received him. So it is now : 
while some find religious privileges a burden, there are others who are 
longing to possess them. While some occupy seats in the house of 
God, and count the service a weariness ; there are others, confined at 
home by various causes, envying, as David did, the happiness of the 
swallow, who builds his nest on God's altars. 

The people on the opposite coast of the lake soon found the advan- 
tage of having the presence of Jesus. A ruler bows Before his feet, 
laid low by sore distress respecting his only child. 

On his way to the ruler's house, people thronged around the blessed 
Saviour. How patient was the love that led him to submit to every 
inconvenience ! Each step he took was encumbered by an oppressive 
crowd ; yet he complained not of the heat and the noise of the throng. 
As he went, very many touched him, but only one did so in faith and 
with intention. Even so it is now ; thousands offer prayers, yet few 
offer them with intention and with expectation of relief. Yet no other 
worshippers are noticed by Jesus. No other touch was noticed by 
him but that of the poor woman who said to herself, " If I may but touch 
his clothes, I shall be whole." Is it in this spirit we come to Jesus ? 
Do we expect an answer to our prayers ? 

Our case by nature is desperate, like that )f the woman. She had 
applied to many physicians, and had reduced herself to poverty, yet 

25 



194 CHRIST RAISES JAIRUS' DAUGHTER. [ APRIL 21. 

had obtained no relief; and having now spent all her money, her hope 
of human assistance must have failed her. Thus some persons who 
have been convinced of their sinful state, have tried to obtain relief by 
multiplied services, and good works, but have never found peace till 
they came to Jesus. 

Let us observe the Lord's condescending approbation of true faith, 
however weak. There was much ignorance mixed up in the faith of 
this woman. She thought that she might touch Jesus unperceived. 
She knew not that he saw her thought afar off, and that her inward 
groaning was not hid from him. But Jesus does not despise weak 
faith, or quench the smoking flax. 

Though he healed the woman upon her secret application to him, he 
desired her to make a public acknowledgment of her cure. He de- 
sires every sinner to do the same. "With the heart man believeth 
unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salva- 
tion." The woman willingly made this confession, when she found it 
was required by her benefactor. Gratitude to Jesus should overcome 
every other feeling in our hearts, and make us willing to acknowledge 
what he has done for our souls, and from what a depth of misery he 
has delivered us. The saints above are not ashamed to acknowledge 
their obligations to the Saviour. They are willing that their past sins 
should be known, in order that his power and love may be exalted. 
The song of the blessed is, " Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us 
to God by thy blood" They own that blood was required to atone 
for their guilt. If we join that happy throng, we shall appear among 
them as sinners saved by grace. We shall not desire to conceal from 
our heavenly companions that we were once polluted. We shall only 
desire that the wonderful power of our Redeemer may be made known 
among the assembled multitude. The thief who repented on the cross 
will extol the grace of his crucified Lord, who atoned for his flagrant 
crimes. And though we may not have committed the same kind of 
sins as that thief, we have all committed sins which, but for faith in 
the blood of Christ, must sink our souls into everlasting wo. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. LI. Confession of sin. 



Matt. V. 35 to end. — He raises lairus* daughter. 

With what eagerness the ruler must have watched the Saviour's 
progress towards his house ! It must have been a trial to him to see 
the steps of his deliverer retarded by the surrounding crowd. But 
what a blow it was to hear his child was actually dead ! Those who 
brought the message thought that Jesus could not now relieve the poor 
father. They said, " Why troublest thou the Master any further ?" 



/LPRIL 21.] CHRIST RAISES JAIRUS' DAUGHTER. 195 

Yet why did they speak thus ? Is there any thing too hard for the 
Lord ? If he could heal by his power, could he not also restore life 
by the same power ? 

Probably the ruler partook of the doubts of the messengers ; for 
Jesus immediately encouraged him, saying, " Be not afraid, only be- 
lieve." How apt we are, though we know that Jesus is almighty, to 
think, that while he can relieve us in a small trouble, he cannot help 
us in a great one ' How apt we are to imagine that there are some 
cases too hard for him. Does not this show that our faith is very 
weak ? The truth is, that God delights in showing the greatness of 
his power by delivering us out of the most overwhelming distresses. 
If we believed in him more, we should see more of his wonderful 
works. And though he does not now raise the dead, it is not because 
the work is too great for his power, but because the time is not yet 
come. 

When Jesus came to the ruler's house, he shut out of the room the 
scoffing attendants, and only permitted the parents of the child and 
three of his apostles to witness the miracle. There are wonders of 
his love and power, which Christ displays to his believing people alone. 
The parents would not have been admitted into their daughter's cham- 
ber, had they been disposed to scoff at the Saviour's words. Their 
sorrowful hearts must have been looking and longing for deliverance. 

How many who have expected deliverance in trial, have received it ! 
A way has been opened in a manner least expected. Thus Abraham, 
when he had lifted up the knife to slay his son, believed that God 
could raise him ; and his faith was rewarded. He called the mount. 
Jehovah Jireh ; or, "in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen;" that 
is, " the Lord will see, or provide ;" thus leading all believers to look 
for similar deliverances in the hour of extreme distress. 

Can the parents who beheld the glorious deed have regretted the 
sufferings they had endured ? If they had suffered less, they had seen 
less of the power of the Lord. When Christians come out of their 
afflictions, they have wonderful histories to relate concerning God's 
faithfulness, which they would never have known had they remained 
at ease. But there are proper seasons in which to relate these histo- 
ries. The time was not yet come for publishing abroad the miracles 
that Jesus had wrought. When he himself had risen from the dead, 
then it was the duty of his followers to declare all they had seen. His 
Avonderful works have been recorded, and handed down to us. Do we 
believe that Jesus will raise the dead at the last day ? Then we can 
lay our beloved ones in the tomb without that distracting, hopeless 
sorrow, which the unbelieving world experience. 

Evening Scripture portion. Gen. XXII. The ■ fferkig up of Isaac. 



] 96 CHRIST GIVES SIGHT TO TWO BLIND MEN. L APR ? L 22 « 



Matt. IX. 27-34. — Christ gives sight to two blind men, and speech 

to a dumb man. 

It appears that the Lord Jesus put the faith of the two blind men 
to a short trial ; for he did not cure them as soon as they asked him ; 
he waited till he was come into the house before he granted their pe- 
tition. But how well they were rewarded for waiting, by their con- 
versation with their Lord in the retirement of the house ! The blind 
men spoke but little: "Yea, Lord." Those were their words ; but 
these simple words pleased Jesus, for they were sincere words. What 
could we reply, if the Lord were to ask us whether we believed that 
he was able to do every thing? Could we reply, "Yea, Lord." Let 
us in times of trouble remember that Jesus can do every thing. 

After the Lord had left the house, he cured a dumb man. This 
miracle he performed publicly, in the presence of his enemies. The 
poor man was an object of great compassion, for he could not (like the 
blind man) plead for himself: others brought him to Jesus. Should 
not this teach us that we should pray for those who, through the power 
of Satan, are dumb unto God, and cannot pray for themselves ? This 
cure excited much astonishment, and caused men to exclaim, " It was 
never so seen in Israel." There had been other prophets, such as 
Elijah and Elisha, who had done miracles, but not such great, or nu- 
merous miracles as Christ performed. 

Jesus now performs wonders on men's souls, which cause many to 
exclaim, " It was never so seen before." The gospel produces effects, 
which nothing but the gospel can produce. What has it not wrought 
in the South Sea Islands ! It has changed thousands of blind idolaters 
and murderers into sons of truth and peace. In England, the preach- 
ing of the gospel has oftentimes transformed the most abandoned char- 
acters into holy men. Yet these wonders do not silence the enemies 
of Christ. The Pharisees were so wicked as to exclaim, " He casteth 
out devils through the prince of the devils." They knew that they 
spoke falsely, but they hated Jesus so much, that they used any means 
to hinder the people from believing on him. There are still persons 
to be found who will slander the servants of God even when they know 
them to be innocent. There lived in the last century a pious curate 
named Maddock, who converted many souls by the preaching of the 
gospel. Those who hated his doctrine invented slanders concerning 
him, and so shook his spirits, as to cause him to fall ill and to resign 
his curacy. But some time afterwards two of his bitter enemies re- 
lented, and acknowledged that the reason of their wicked conduct was, 
that they could not endure the doctrine he had preached to them ; and 
that they had never believed the reports they had spread. And what 
were the feelings of this holy man upon the occasion ? He wrote in 
his journal, " Now my enemies have confessed their enmity against 
God, and his word, and against me for preaching it. Lord, by this 



PRIL 23.] CHRIST'S SECOND VISIT TO NAZARETH. 197 

onfession thou hast greatly eased my mind. Thou hast made mine 
enemies confess that they have persecuted thy servant out of malice. 
Remember, I beseech thee, their blindness and ignorance, and pardon 
them freely for thy dear Son's sake." Like his blessed Master, this 
pious minister pursued his work in other towns and villages, and con- 
tinued to the end of his days to heal sin-sick souls. 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. XXXII. The blessed effects of the gospel. 



Mark VI. 1-6. — Christ's second visit to Nazareth. 

This is the second visit that we read of Jesus making to Nazareth 
after he had begun his ministry. 

In his first visit there he had been shamefully treated, for his country- 
men had attempted to hurl him headlong from the hill ; yet he was so 
forgiving that he made a second visit to the ungrateful city. Jesus 
does not hastily give up any sinners whom he once has favored. Even 
when the first offer of mercy has been rejected, he vouchsafes another, 
and perhaps another still ; for He is the God of patience. While he 
was preaching, very contemptuous- thoughts arose in the people's 
hearts. None could deny that he had done mighty works, and that he 
spoke with extraordinary wisdom ; but yet, because the people re- 
membered him as the carpenter, and because they knew his relations 
to be poor persons, with whom they were familiar, they would not 
listen to his words. , What an instance their conduct affords of the 
greatness of human folly ! 

As it was then, even so it is now ; people are apt to consider, not so 
much what is spoken, as by whom it is said. The servants of God 
are still despised when they are poor and unlearned, and their message 
is often rejected on these accounts ; but those who despise them sin 
against their own souls. How foolish we should consider that person, 
who, though dying of thirst, refused a draught of water, because it was 
contained in a common earthen cup ! No thirsty person ever acted in 
so absurd a manner ; but many ignorant souls have displayed still 
greater folly. When faithfully warned by a true believer, they have 
taken no heed to his words, because he did not possess the learning, 
or honors of this world. They have said, " How should this man be 
able to teach me ?" Yet perhaps that man had been taught of God. 
Such persons would surely have despised their Saviour when he was 
upon earth. 

Great was the loss that the men of Nazareth brought upon them- 
selves by their conduct. They would not even come to Christ to be 
healed ; that was the reason that Jesus could do no mighty work there. 



198 CHRIST'S COMPASSION FOR THE MULTITUDE. f APRIL 24. 

He marvelled at their unbelief ; as he had once marvelled at the faith 
of the centurion. 

The Nazarenes abused singular privileges. They had beheld for 
a long period the spotless example of the Son of God. They had 
witnessed the lovely qualities that adorned his childhood, and which 
grew brighter and brighter during the years of his youth and early 
manhood. Could they refrain from loving a being of such perfect ex- 
cellence, and whose excellence they knew so well ? Yes. His faith- 
fulness in reproving sin caused them to hate him. Hatred produced 
contempt, and contempt confirmed them in unbelief. 

We never can expect to meet with a human creature faultless like 
the Lord Jesus ; but all Christians in a degree resemble their Master ; 
and some resemble him more than others. It may have been our 
privilege to know some eminent saints. They may now be in their 
graves ; but the very remembrance of them is blessed. We shall meet 
them again at the judgment-seat of Christ. If we rejected their coun- 
sel while living, let us attend to them now they are departed, that we 
may not incur the guilt and misery of the men of Nazareth. 

Evening Scripture portion. Jer. XI. The persecutions of Jeremiah. 



Matt. IX. 35 to end. — His compassion for the multitude. 

The Lord Jesus was permitted to teach in the synagogues, but ho 
did not confine himself to them ; nor did He preach only on the Sab- 
bath. He taught in all places and at all times. There have been faith- 
ful men, who have closely copied his example, and have proclaimed 
their Master's name with an untiring zeal. They have been much de- 
spised, but they have turned many sinners unto the Lord ; for the 
preaching of the gospel is the most effectual means of converting 
souls. 

Great multitudes followed Jesus from place to place. When he be- 
held them he was moved with compassion. What constant proofs we 
find of the tenderness of his heart ! He could not see the multitude 
fainting from hunger and weariness without feeling for their bodies ; 
neither could he consider their destitute spiritual condition without feel- 
ing still deeper compassion for their souls. They seemed to him like 
sheep without a shepherd. There were indeed appointed teachers in 
every city and village ; but these teachers were unfaithful, and did not 
feed the sheep with the knowledge of God, but misled their minds by 
false explanations of the Scriptures. Such teachers Jesus would not 
acknowledge to be true shepherds ; for they only poisoned the flock. 

He then made another comparison. He likened the people to a 
field of corn ready to be reaped, and he declared there were few reap- 



APRIL 25.] CHRIST SENDS OUT HIS TWELVE APOSTLES. 199 

ers prepared to reap it. There were many persons ready to come into 
the kingdom of God, and but few able to lead them into it ; there- 
fore he desired his disciples to entreat the Lord of the harvest to send 
forth laborers into the field. The world is still in the same case : 
there are but few laborers compared with the number of persons willing 
to be taught. In some countries, the people have cast away their idols, 
and are longing and praying for teachers. 

When Christ ascended on high, he gave gifts unto men. And what 
were those gifts ? Apostles, teachers, pastors. It is not only blind 
idolaters who need their instructions. Israel of old needed teachers 
to stir up their hearts to love God. All of us require the exhortations 
of faithful ministers, lest we be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 
Those who try to live without the blessing of a good minister, (when 
they can obtain one,) suffer greatly from the attempt; their souls grow 
cold, their steps turn aside, and, even in old age, they often slide into 
error. 

What gifts to perishing sinners can be so great as the gift of faithful 
pastors ? To patients in a hospital, no boon could be so great as able 
physicians. Do we ever pray to God that he will raise up faithful 
ministers to feed his church ? If we felt the compassion that Jesus 
felt for immortal souls, we should pray earnestly and constantly that 
ministers might be sent to show them the way of salvation. It is God 
alone who can send forth faithful laborers ; He alone can make men 
able to teach others. 

Evening Scripture portion. Zee. XIII. Fountain for sin. 



Matt. X. 1-7. — He sends out his twelve apostles. 

The Lord Jesus had exhorted his disciples to pray that God would 
send laborers into his harvest. He had scarcely given the command 
before he answered the prayer by appointing these twelve disciples to 
preach the word. He sent them forth by two and two, that they might 
have a counsellor, a companion, and a friend upon the journey. It is 
well not to enter upon difficult undertakings alone. We are creatures 
that need sympathy. Fellow-laborers in Christ's vineyard have often 
found great comfort in each other, and become mutually endeared. 
None but Christians know the love that binds those together who work, 
with a single heart, in the same spot for the same Master. 

It must have been a time of great anxiety to the twelve when they 
were called to leave their gracious Master's side, and enter without 
him upon the labors of the ministry. Hitherto they had been shel- 
tered beneath his wing ; but now they were to encounter the enemy 
alone ; yet not alone, for though invisible, they would still be watched 



200 CHRIST SENDS OUT HIS TWELVE APOSTLES. [APRIL 25. 

over by their ever-present Lord. Jesus endowed them with a measure 
of the same powers that lie possessed himself; for having a new mes- 
sage to deliver, it was necessary that they should confirm it by wonderful 
works. Yet sometimes they could not exercise these powers from want 
of faith. We do not know whether they ever raised the dead till after 
Jesus was ascended on high. 

Before they set out, their Master gave them some counsels. How 
deeply these counsels ought to interest us ! they are full of the wisdom 
of God, and show us his mind and will. 

Jesus first told the disciples to who?n to go — to the Jews only, not to 
the Gentiles, or to the Samaritans, (who were a mixed people, descend- 
ed from Jews and Gentiles,) but to the Jews. What was his reason 
for this command ? Did He not afterwards desire his apostles to 
preach the gospel to every creature ? It appears that he chose to give 
the first call to the Jews ; because they were beloved for the fathers' 
sakes. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had been the sheep of his fold. 
Their sinful children had wandered from that fold ; therefore the Sa- 
viour viewed them as lost sheep. Our God is very slow to give up 
those whom he has once favored. It is not till after repeated provoca- 
tions, and the most obstinate negligence, that he forsakes them. Has 
he granted us, as He once did the Jews, many spiritual privileges ? 
Then he will not lightly leave us. He will dig about the fig-tree be- 
fore he cuts it down ; he will trim the lamp again and again before he 
puts it out in obscure darkness. But O ! terrible will be his wrath 
when once it is aroused ; for he will then execute strict justice upon 
those who have rejected abundant mercy. 

Jesus directed his disciples, not only to whom to preach, but also what 
to preach. They were to say, as he had said, and as John the Baptist 
had said, " The kingdom of heaven is at hand." These words con- 
tained a solemn warning ; they signified that the opportunity of enter- 
ing the kingdom was afforded, and might soon be over. A door was 
opened, the promise of pardon and of grace was offered, and all might 
enter in by this door to escape the judgment due to their sins ; but it 
would at length be closed, and then, wo to those who had lost the pre- 
cious opportunity. It is still true, that the kingdom of heaven is at 
hand ; an opportunity of obtaining life is afforded to us : " Now is the ac- 
cepted time ; now is the day of salvation." Ministers proclaim with 
uplifted voice, and sometimes with tears which they cannot restrain, 
the unbounded mercy of our God. They entreat us to accept his 
offers of pardon through the blood of Christ. Some listen to their en- 
treaties, fall down before the Son of God, and call upon him to save 
them. Have we thus humbled ourselves, and pleaded for mercy ? 
Here is a gracious promise for our encouragement. God has said, 
" To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite 
spirit, and trembleth at my word." (Is. lxvi. 2.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts XXVIII. The gospel rejected by the Jews. 



APRIL 26.] JESUS DIRECTS THEM WITH WHOM TO ABIDE. 201 



Matt. X. 7-15. — He directs them with whom to abide during their 

journey. 

Before the twelve disciples set out on their journey, their Master 
gave them many directions respecting their conduct. He desired 
them to make no provision for their wants, to take no money in their 
purses or girdles, no food in their scrips or bags, and no new clothes 
to supply the place of the old when worn out. How then were they 
to be supported during their travels ? Jesus appointed that the people 
to whom they preached should supply their wants ; for " The work- 
man," he said, " is worthy of his meat." Pious persons would con- 
sider it a privilege to supply the wants of their teachers. The 
apostles, by accepting their gifts, would imitate the humility of their 
Master, who, though he could have turned stones into bread, and did 
turn water into wine, chose rather to accept the gifts of his pious fol- 
lowers. How many of God's most devoted servants in all ages have 
been placed in circumstances of dependence ! But God has never 
forgotten his children when reduced to deep poverty. He has always 
put it into the hearts of some charitable persons to help them 
in their need, or by some other means He has supplied their ne- 
cessities. 

It is recorded of an excellent minister, who lived nearly two 
hundred years ago, that once when obliged by persecution to leave his 
family, he set out without any money in his pocket, and not knowing 
where to go. He suffered his horse to take its own course, and 
towards evening he found himself at the door of a small farm-house. 
He requested the mistress to allow him to take shelter beneath her 
roof, but frankly told her he had no money with which to reward her 
hospitality. Both she and her husband kindly entertained him. In 
the course of conversation they inquired after a minister, named 
Oliver Heywood, whom, they had heard, was persecuted with great 
bitterness. After some time, the traveller acknowledged that he was 
the very person they spoke of. Great was the joy of his pious hosts. 
They called their neighbors in, requested their honored guest to speak 
to them from the word of God, and afterwards made a small collection 
to help him on his way. 

In this manner God has often unexpectedly relieved his suffering 
servants. No doubt the apostles, during the course of their journey, 
experienced the same providential care. 

But though the Lord promised to provide for their wants, he warned 
them against indulging a covetous disposition: " Freely ye have re- 
ceived, freely give." He forbade their making a gain of their power 
to heal. They might easily have amassed large fortunes by their 
cures ; but riches so acquired by ministers of his word would have 
been a curse. 

Jesus directs his apostles to ivhom to go in each city — " To the 

26 



202 CHRIST PREPARES THEM FOR PERSECUTION. f APRIL 27. 

most worthy." They were to make inquiries respecting the character 
of the inhabitants of each place they visited. Probably the neigh- 
bors would speak most highly of the most upright and benevolent in- 
habitants of the village. In general, it would be found that the 
person who bore the best character was also the most godly. What 
a blessing he would enjoy who would obtain the company of the 
apostles, and have the opportunity of hearing their instructions ! It is 
considered an honor to entertain princes ; but it is a far higher honor 
to receive the servants of God. When they have departed, the 
remembrance of their words, and of their spirit, leaves a holy fra- 
grance on the mind. But sometimes the apostles would enter the 
door of an unworthy host, perhaps of some hypocritical Pharisee, 
who had succeeded in establishing a good reputation among men. 
Still they were to pronounce the blessing of peace upon the house. 
But that blessing would not descend upon an unworthy head. No ; 
it would return into the bosom of those who uttered it. Thus we 
perceive, that if we are deceived in the characters of others, and 
bless those whom God has determined not to bless, yet still the blessing 
shall not be lost. 

The Lord prepared his apostles to find some who would refuse to 
hear their message. It would be their duty solemnly to warn these 
despisers of the awful guilt they incurred. The sin of rejecting the 
gospel is far greater than any sin that the heathens can commit. Men 
may think that the idolater who leaves his aged parents to starve, or 
who cruelly slaughters the innocent children of his enemies, is the 
most wicked of the human race. But the Bible declares that the 
man who refuses to accept the merciful offers of the Son of God, is 
far worse than any of the heathen, and that he shall suffer the hottest 
wrath of his insulted Redeemer. Shall God speak, and man refuse 
to listen ? Shall God stretch out his hands in merciful entreaty, and 
shall man turn away and despise the gracious invitation ? How awful 
is the threatening denounced against such scorners. " I will also 
laugh at your calamity ; I will mock when your fear cometh." 
(Prov. i. 26.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Prov. I. The doom of those who reject God's mercy. 



Matt. X. 16-26. — He prepares them for persecution. 

Our Saviour fully prepared his disciples for the treatment they 
would receive from the world. He compared ungodly men to wolves, 
and his apostles to sheep. He described the manner in which these 



APRIL 27.] CHRIST PREPARES THEM FOR PERSECUTION. 203 

wolves would treat his sheep — in thought, vjord, and deed. The 
thoughts of ungodly men towards the apostles would be thoughts of 
hatred. Jesus said, "Ye shall be hated of all men." (verse 22.) 

The world has ever hated the children of God. There is nothing 
more painful to our feelings than the ill-will of our fellow-creatures. 
No abundance of possessions can make amends for hatred ; while 
love can console in the midst of trials. Jesus therefore warned his 
disciples against being turned back from him by the hatred of 
the world, saying, " He that endures to the end (in spite of these 
trials) shall be saved." 

The hatred men felt in their hearts would lead them to utter hateful 
icords against the disciples of Jesus. They had called the Lord 
Jesus himself Beelzebub. Ought his disciples to expect better treat- 
ment ? Was it not enough if the servant was not worse treated 
than his Lord ? 

Christians have always been slandered ; they have been accused of 
hypocrisy, as well as of secret crimes. Jesus comforts his disciples 
under their accusations by this assurance in verse 26 : " There is 
nothing covered that shall not be revealed ; nor hid, that shall not be 
known." Would it not comfort those who are falsely accused, 
to know that the day is coming when the truth would be made 
known ? Such comfort all Christians possess, when slandered by their 
enemies. 

Men would not only speak words against the disciples, but would 
commit cruel actions against them. They would imprison them and 
scourge them, and even cause them to be put to death. Yea, parents 
would turn against their own children, and persecute them in the most 
unnatural manner. 

All these trials did not come upon the disciples during their 
first journey ; but as Jesus knew they would come upon them after 
his ascension, he directed them how to behave under these trials. 
They were to do every thing to avoid persecution, except concealing 
the truth. In their characters they were to resemble serpents and 
doves ; serpents in caution and prudence, doves in gentleness and in- 
offensiveness : they were not to be malicious as serpents, or silly as 
doves, but wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Yet notwith- 
standing all their endeavors, they would be persecuted for preaching 
the gospel. 

One great advantage would arise from their being brought before 
kings and judges; they would have an opportunity of declaring the 
truth to those high personages ; as Paul did to Felix, who trembled on 
his judgment-seat. Jesus bade his disciples take no thought what 
they should speak when examined by their judges. Though they 
could not foresee what perplexing questions would be put to them, 
they were not to be disquieted with the fear lest they should not be able 
to answer well ; for God would assist them with his Spirit. 

Peter and John were the first among the apostles who were broughi 



204 JESUS ENCOURAGES THEM TO BE FAITHFUL. [ APRIL 28. 

before rulers for their Master's sake. It is written, that when Peter 
was called upon to defend his conduct in healing the lame man, he 
" was filled with the Holy Ghost." He spoke with such power, that 
his judges could make no reply. " When they saw the boldness of 
Peter and John, and perceived they were unlearned and ignorant* 
men, they marvelled." (Acts iv. 13.) 

In later days many poor uneducated men have been questioned by 
learned judges, and have been able to give answers which have quite 
confounded their enemies. In Foxe's Book of Martyrs, there are ac- 
counts of many such men who suffered death in this country, because 
they would not worship the Virgin Mary and the saints, or profess to 
believe Roman Catholic errors. And it has been remarked, that some 
of the least learned of the martyrs spoke with the greatest power ; 
because they relied most simply upon the help of God, and appealed 
only to his Word. 

Though we may never be called upon to stand before an earthly 
judgment-seat, yet we must be willing to confess our faith whenever 
an opportunity occurs. It is written in the first Epistle of Peter, 
" Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a 
reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear." We may 
trust in God to teach us on such occasions how to reply. Let us lift 
up our hearts to Him before we speak, and our answer may be made 
the means of converting the unbelieving inquirer. 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts XXIV. Paul before Felix. 



Matt. X. 27-39. — Jesus encourages them to be faithful. 

The Lord Jesus had declared that his disciples would be exposed 
to great sufferings through preaching the gospel — that they would be 
scourged, imprisoned, and even put to death. Would not this pros- 
pect be a great temptation to conceal the truth ? Yes, it would ; 
therefore Jesus taught them by commands, warnings, and promises, 
to preach the gospel openly. 

First, he gave them a command. He said, " What I tell you in 
darkness, that speak ye in light ; what ye hear in the ear, that preach 
ye in the housetops." He had told his disciples many doctrines 
privately, that they were to preach publicly. How anxious Paul 
afterwards was that he might open his mouth boldly, and speak the 

{* Private, not official persons.) 



APRIL 28.] JESUS ENCOURAGES THEM TO BE FAITHFUL. 205 

gospel as he ought to speak it, concealing no part of the truth, how- 
ever men might dislike to hear it ! 

Jesus not only gave a command, he added warnings, reminding his 
disciples that God was able to kill both their bodies and souls in hell ; 
declaring that he would deny them before his Father, if they denied 
him before men ; and asserting that " he that findeth his life shall 
lose it ;" that is, that he that saves his life by forsaking Christ, shall 
perish. But perhaps some may ask, " Did not Peter deny Christ? 
Will Christ deny him before his Father?" Assuredly not ; for Peter 
repented of his sin, and obtained mercy, and no sin repented of and 
forgiven, shall be punished at the last day. 

Christ also gave promises to his disciples to encourage them to 
preach his gospel. He told them that their hairs were all numbered, 
and that they themselves were of more value in God's sight than 
many sparrows. He did not promise that his disciples should be pre- 
served from sufferings or from death by their heavenly Father ; but 
he assured them that their trials were all appointed by a loving parent. 
The ungodly will sometimes say in trouble, " It is all for the best ;" 
but it is not all for the best with those who do not desire to please 
God ; sufferings only add to the guilt of those who do not repent of 
their sins. The children of God alone may feel assured that all that 
befalls them is for the best ; sickness and health, riches and poverty, 
life and death, are all made to promote their everlasting welfare. 
" We know," says the apostle Paul, " that all things work together 
for good to them that love God. 11 (Romans viii. 28.) 

Jesus prepared his disciples for occasioning a great deal of con- 
fusion by the preaching of the gospel. He said, " Think not that I 
am come to send peace on earth." It was natural that the disciples 
should suppose that he came to send peace. Isaiah had called him 
the Prince of Peace. At his birth angels had sung, " Glory to God 
in the highest, on earth peace 1 '' He did, indeed, come to bring peace 
in the end, but persecution and confusion first. It would be wicked 
men who would create this confusion by their hatred "of the Saviour. 
How many families have been divided by the gospel ! one member 
has become religious, has turned to God in earnest, and the rest have 
turned against him. But should these trials prevent any from com- 
ing to Christ ? O no ; we ought to love the Saviour better than our 
dearest relations — better than father or mother, son or daughter. Nor 
must we in any thing disobey him, in order to please a dear friend, or 
connection. There are many children who are unkindly treated by 
their parents on account of their religion, and there are many parents 
who are despised by their children for the same reason. It is a great 
temptation to an affectionate parent to indulge children by allowing 
them to taste pleasures which are forbidden in the holy Scriptures. 
But to do this is to be unfaithful to God. We should always re- 
member that Jesus is nearer to us than parent or child can be. He 
is our God. The Lord said to Abraham in ancient days, % ' I will be 



206 CHRIST PRONOUNCES BLESSINGS. [APRIL 29. 

a God unto thee." This is more than if He had said, ' I will be 
a Father unto thee." David said unto the Lord, "Thou art my 
God!" (Ps. cxl. 6.) When any who are near and dear to us would 
entice us to forsake Him, let us remember that He is our God. 

Evening Scripture portion. Deut. XIII. Fidelity to God. 



Matt. X. 40 to end ; XL 1 . — He pronounces blessings on those who 
show kindness to his disciples. 

The Lord Jesus had forbidden his apostles to take any thing with 
them in their journey, either scrip, (that is, bag of provisions,) or 
money in their purses ; and He had desired them to go to the house 
of the most worthy person in each town, though that person might 
also be the poorest. It must have been a great comfort to the apostles 
to know that a rich blessing would rest upon those who received them 
into their houses, and that their kindness would be repaid at the res- 
urrection of the just. 

St. Paul felt this comfort when the Philippians sent gifts to him in 
prison. He could not repay them, but he said, " My God will supply 
all your need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." 
(Phil. iv. 19.) 

But is it not possible that a wicked man might receive a servant of 
Christ and treat him kindly ? Yes, doubtless it is possible. Would 
he receive a heavenly reward ? We must consider the motive of ev- 
ery action, before we can pronounce it to be good or bad. It is only 
those who receive a prophet in the name of a prophet, (that is, because 
he is a prophet,) who shall receive a prophet's reward. He who re- 
ceives a prophet because he is an admired preacher, or an amiable man, 
or an old acquaintance, he will not receive a prophet's reward for his 
hospitality. The motive in receiving him must be, because he is a 
servant of Christ. If that is the motive, all faithful prophets will be 
treated with kindness, and not only some favorite prophet. The bless- 
ing, we perceive, is pronounced not only on those who receive prophets, 
but also on those who receive righteous men who are not prophets ; 
and also on those who are kind to Christ's little ones, or to the weakest 
believers. 

In these days it is often difficult to discover whether any kindness 
we show to God's people proceeds from the right motive. It is now 
so easy a duty, that many practise it, who would not incur any danger, 
or make any sacrifice for the sake of Christ and his people. In for- 
mer days the case was different. Then it was often dangerous to show 
kindness to true Christians. Those who visited them in prison, or 
who harbored them in their houses, drew upon themselves persecution. 



APRIL 30.] THE DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. 207 

Even in this country, at the time people were beginning to turn from 
popery, both men and women were often put to the rack to induce 
them to confess the names of those who had been kind to them. If a 
person were known to have sent money to a poor prisoner, or if he 
were seen giving him a loaf through the prison bars, the enemies of 
the truth would send to apprehend him. It was not an easy duty in 
those days to befriend the people of God. Few, if any, would do it 
who did not love Christ sincerely. 

But even in these happier days, some of the saints are heid in gen- 
eral contempt. If we countenance and encourage all those who serve 
our Master, we also shall be despised. But if we would be faithful to 
Christ, we must not consider to what sect .or party men belong, but 
only, " Do they serve our Lord ?" and if they do, we ought to receive 
them, and help them ; we ought to defend their characters when as- 
persed, to bear with their infirmities, and to forgive their offences. 
This will be a sign that we should not have despised the Lord Jesus, 
if we had lived when he was upon earth. The feelings of the true 
believer are well expressed by a Christian poet, in the following lines : 

Thy people by the world abhorr'd, 

I for my people take, 
And serve the servants of my Lord, 

For their dear Master's sake. 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Kings XVIII. 1-20. Obadiah. 



Mark VI. 12-29.— The death of John the Baptist. 

Very little is related concerning the events that happened while the 
apostles were absent from their Lord. This however we know ; — Je- 
sus continued to preach, and to perform miracles. His fame was so 
great that it reached the ears of Herod, the governor. -Jt may appear 
surprising that Herod had not heard before of his miracles ; but the 
great are often ignorant of the things passing around them among the 
poor ; and sometimes they do not even know the names of the most 
eminent of God's servants. 

When Herod heard of the miracles of the Lord, he supposed that 
John the Baptist was risen from the dead ; and though John in his life- 
time had performed no miracles, he imagined that if risen from the 
dead, he could do mighty works. Amid all his splendor and his power 
the wicked monarch could not forget his faithful reprover. He had 
silenced the prophet long ago by committing him to prison ; but he 
could not silence his own conscience, which upbraided him with the 
murder of the holy man. If before sin was perpetrated, it could be 
known what would be the state of mind afterwards, many would trem- 
ble to do the deed. 



208 THE DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. [ APRIL 30. 

Herod was a miserable man ; for he had a guilty conscience and an 
impenitent heart. His crimes were so flagrant, and so presumptuous, 
that they haunted him in his palace. But they were not followed by 
repentance. If Herod had really lamented his wickedness, he would 
have desired to acknowledge it to him, whom he supposed to be the 
murdered prophet. He would have found in him the only being who 
could take away his guilt, and give peace to his conscience. But 
when at last he did see Jesus, it was to insult him, and to array him, 
just before his crucifixion, with a gorgeous robe, that ill-became his 
wounded, bleeding form. 

And by what steps did Herod sink into this depth of depravity ? 
Once he had heard John the Baptist gladly, and had attended to his 
words, and had reformed many parts of his conduct. But he had in- 
dulged one darling sin ; he had refused to part with Herodias, his 
brother Philip's wife ; and had imprisoned the man who rebuked his 
wickedness. This act hardened his heart, and prepared him for great- 
er crimes. While the prophet languished in a gloomy prison, the un- 
feeling tyrant revelled in his palace. The elegant dancing of Salome 
enticed him to make an imprudent promise. He intended not to mur- 
der the prophet ; perhaps he intended some day to release him from 
prison ; at all events, he was reluctant to shed his blood. But having 
made an oath, he feared lest his guests should despise him if he broke 
it. He dreaded their scornful smile more than the angry frown of an 
offended God. But he soon experienced that it is an awful thing to 
provoke the Almighty We learn from history, that Herod, with his 
idolized Herodias, was at length expelled his kingdom, and that he died 
in banishment and disgrace. 

For a moment it seemed as if the devices of a malicious woman had 
prevailed against God's faithful servant. But was not early death a 
welcome boon to the holy Baptist ? Was not the executioner an ac- 
ceptable visitant in his prison ? The messenger who fetched Joseph 
from his dungeon to the presence of Pharaoh, was not so welcome as 
the executioner who removed John from his prison to the presence of 
his God. He had done the work which was appointed for him to do ; 
he had announced the coming Saviour to rebellious men. The ser- 
vants of God have various posts assigned to them. Each has some 
commission to perform, and when it is executed, he is recalled It 
may appear that he has died in the midst of his work ; but this cannot 
really be the case. God w T ill raise up others to carry on his labors ; 
even as He appointed the apostles to continue to preach that gospel, 
which John the Baptist had begun to proclaim. 

The disciples of the martyred prophet were permitted to enjoy the 
melancholy satisfaction of burying his headless corpse ; for Herod, 
who would gladly have spared his life, did not withhold his body from 
them. They must have viewed the early, sudden, and cruel death of 
their revered Master, as a mysterious event. To lose a friend by the 
hand of violence is far more bitter than to lose him through disease or 



MAY 1.] CHRIST FEEDS FIVE THOUSAND. 209 

accident ; for it is more difficult to see God's hand in the loss when 
man's cruelty has had a share in it. With bursting hearts, these be- 
reaved disciples went and told Jesus of their trouble, (Matt. vi. 12.) 

He could have explained the dark perplexing event. He knew that 
John was taken away from the evil to come, and was spared the sight 
of his own ignominious death. But we do not know what He said 
to comfort these mourners. None can sympathize with the sorrowful 
as the Son of God can. He came " to comfort all that mourn." His 
sympathy is not only tender ; it is powerful. He is not only touched 
with the feeling of our infirmities, he can succor us when tempted. 
He can pour consolation into the heart. No wound was ever reallv 
healed, except by His touch. He declares, •" I wound and I heal." 
Though the death of John the Baptist was his appointment, yet He 
alone could comfort the bereaved disciples. Israel in her distress ap- 
plied to a foreign king. But did she obtain relief? God said, "Yet 
could he not heal you, or cure you of your wounds." (Hos. v. 13.) 
But the saints can say, " He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth 
up their wounds." (Psalm cxlvii. 3.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Phil. I. Paul's desire to depart. 



Mark VI. 30-44. — Christ feeds Jive thousand with five loaves and 

two fishes. 

Behold another instance of the compassion of our Lord. See how 
ready he was to sacrifice his own ease and comfort that he might pro- 
mote ours. 

It appears that he longed to rest awhile with his disciples, and to 
hear them relate the things that had befallen them during'their travels ; 
and that for this purpose he crossed the lake, intending to land at some 
desert place ; but the multitude, who saw him embark, ran round the 
lake, and were waiting to receive him at the place where he landed. 
Was he provoked by this interruption ? No ; he was moved with 
compassion for the destitute state of their souls. He regarded them 
as sheep without a shepherd, because their public teachers were igno- 
rant of God. There is no outward deprivation which he pities so much 
as the want of a faithful ministry, and there is none which ive should 
lament so much. A famine of the word of the Lord, is far worse than 
a famine of bread. 

When evening came, the apostles wished to send the people away ; 
but the people were willing to remain without food rather than to 
leave Jesus. They were rewarded for their anxiety to be with him 
by obtaining nourishment both for their bodies and souls. 

27 



210 CHRIST FEEDS FIVE THOUSAND. [may 1. 

Before Jesus brake the bread, be looked up to heaven. He knew 
whence every good gift came. Have we not often eaten our food 
without thinking of the Giver, and without considering his kindness in 
supplying our daily need ? 

Christ did not distribute the food himself, but employed the apos- 
tles in that service. This bread was an emblem of his own flesh, 
which he gave for the life of the world. The apostles were. appointed 
to proclaim the crucified Saviour to perishing sinners. It was neces- 
sary that they should believe that He could save by his death the souls 
of all believers. They now saw with their own eyes that He could 
make a little bread sustain a vast multitude. They would remember 
this in future days, when preaching his name to assembled thousands. 
This simple truth, that Jesus gave his flesh for the life of the world, 
has fed innumerable souls, and will feed innumerable more till the 
multitude without number are gathered around the throne ; and then 
the Lamb himself will feed them through eternity with food which we 
know not of. 

After the simple meal was ended, Jesus bade the apostles gather 
up the remains. By doing this, it was made evident that the hunger 
of the multitude had been fully satisfied, and the greatness of the mira- 
cle was thus proved. But Jesus gave another reason for the com- 
mand ; he said, " Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing 
be lost." (John vi. 12.) By this command He showed us how pre- 
cious he esteemed even the least of the works of God, that we might 
not. dare to waste the food that our heavenly Father has provided. 

But if earthly bread is too precious to be wantonly trampled under 
foot, how inestimably precious must heavenly bread be ! Every 
word that cometh out of the mouth of God is bread for the soul. Yet 
how much is suffered to fall to the ground ! How carelessly we some- 
times read the Scriptures ! How many heart-stirring sermons have 
we heard, and then immediately forgotten ! It is not that our memo- 
ries are too weak to retain them, (for we can recollect the news of the 
town, or the village,) but it is that our hearts are too indifferent. It 
would be a blessed custom, after reading or hearing, to gather up the 
fragments ; that is, to recall to our minds what we have heard, and to 
apply them to our consciences, " that nothing be lost." 

It appears that the twelve baskets contained more bread than there 
was at first, and that the store had been increased by distribution. In 
the same way, by feeding the hungry we shall often enrich ourselves ; 
for God will bless our earthly substance, as He did in the case of the 
widow who fed Elijah. But how much more will he bless those who 
feed souls with the word of God ! Those teachers who in a humble 
spirit search the Scriptures, that they may scatter the crumbs among 
poor little ignorant children, find rich nourishment for their own souls. 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Amos VIII. A famine of hearing the words of the Lord. 



MAY 2.] CHRIST WALKS UPON THE SEA. 211 



Matt. XIV. 22 to end. — He walks upon the sea. 

This history contains a beautiful instance of the care of our Saviour 
over his people. On another occasion the disciples were alarmed, be- 
cause Jesus was asleep when a storm arose. How much more alarm 
they probably felt now he was absent ! Yet it ought to have comforted 
them to remember that he himself had constrained them to enter into 
the ship. They were evidently in the path of duty. How then should 
any evil befall them ! It is a great comfort to us when we can feel 
sure that we are doing the will of God ; for whatever trouble may 
threaten us, we can trust Jesus to bring relief in the storm. On the 
contrary, when we are acting wilfully, we have reason to be alarmed 
at every difficulty that occurs, and to be apprehensive that God will 
punish us for our waywardness. 

Yet the faith of the disciples was so weak, that, though they knew 
they were in the path of duty, they were alarmed by the storm ; and 
when they beheld Jesus walking on the sea, they were still more ter- 
rified, thinking that he was a spirit. They knew not that while he was 
praying on the mountain, he had seen them, " toiling in rowing," and 
was come in the most wonderful manner to their rescue. 

Peter, who possessed a warm, eager disposition, said, " Lord, if it 
be thou, bid me come to thee on the water/' 

Why did Peter make this request ? Love suggested it ? Did he 
not affectionately desire to be with his Lord 1 Faith enabled him to 
comply with the command, " Come." Yet this love, and this faith, 
were mixed with self-ignorance and self-confidence. He knew not the 
weakness of his own heart ; he fondly imagined that he loved the 
Lord more than his brethren loved him, and that his faith was stronger 
than theirs. Upon the waves he learned a humiliating lesson. His 
mind was not resting solely upon Christ ; he partly gloried in himself, 
and soon the tumult of the winds and waves shook hisjaith, and he 
began to sink. But his faith, weak as it was, did not fail, for he called 
on the Lord to save him. 

If Peter had taken a lesson from this event, he might have been 
spared the sharp sorrow, as well as awful sin, ol denying his Lord. 
Had he learned upon the waves, to distrust his own heart, he had not 
in the hall experienced its deceitfulness. If we reflect upon the events 
of Providence, we shall find that God often causes those events to oc- 
cur in miniature, which happen afterwards upon a larger scale. An 
act of wilfulness in youth is permitted to produce evil results ; but the 
same wilfulness at a later period is again displayed, and is followed by 
worse consequences. The deceit that David practised at the court of 
Achish entangled him in many difficulties ; but the Lord extricated him 
from them all. He was guilty of a deeper and fouler deceit in the 
matter of Uriah, and was entangled in a net from which he was never 
extricated in this life. It is very profitable to review our past conduct, 



212 THE MULTITUDE SEEK JESUS. [MAY 3. 

that we may learn the lessons the Lord would teach us, and avoid the 
evils we have already experienced. 

Are we, like Peter, disposed presumptuously to venture into scenes 
of temptation, and to desire trials of our faith ? Does not past experi- 
ence show us how weak and foolish we are ? It is those who dread 
temptation, who are supported when exposed" to it ? It is those who 
feel their unfitness to occupy important stations, who are strengthened 
when exalted to them. Let us not rashly ask Jesus to bid us come 
unto him on the water ; but ask him rather to come unto us in the 
ship. Yet the Lord does not forsake his servants, even when their 
own temerity and want of faith have brought them into difficulty. No ; 
even then he hears them when they call. He who stretched out his 
hand to sinking Peter, will extend his mercy to each of us in every 
trouble. The cry, " Save me or I perish," touches the Saviour's heart, 
even as the infant's cry awakens the mother's tenderness. Never then 
let us be discouraged from looking to Christ for help. No past folly 
of ours can harden his heart against us, when by faith we come to him 
in our distress. 

Evening Scripture portion. Job. IX. God treads upon the waves of the sea. 



John VI.- 22.-29. — The multitude seek Jesus from interested motives. 

It must be remembered that when Jesus walked on the sea to his 
disciples, he left a great multitude on the other side of the lake. These 
people had been fed by him in the evening ; but afterwards many of 
them had remained near the mountain, to which he had retired to pray. 
They had seen with pleasure the disciples embark without their Mas- 
ter, in the only ship then upon the sea ; and had felt certain of finding 
him near them in the morning. But what was their consternation, 
when morning came, at not being able to find him ! They were at a 
loss to imagine how he could have departed. 

While they were in this state of perplexity, some boats arrived. In 
these they joyfully embarked, and crossing the lake, soon reached the 
city of Capernaum. They sought there for Jesus, and found him 
teaching in the synagogue, (v. 59.) They expressed their surprise at 
the meeting, saying, " Rabbi, when earnest thou hither ?" Jesus, how- 
ever, did not satisfy their curiosity, by answering their inquiry, but 
proceeded to unveil their hearts, and to expose the selfish, earthiy mo- 
tives that led them to seek him so earnestly. Could we have sup- 
posed that a meal of bread and fish w 7 as more valued by them than the 
precious words of the Saviour ! Yet this was the case. Though 
Jesus was the Son of God. and had the most valuable gifts to bestow, 



MAY 3.] FROM INTERESTED MOTIVES. 213 

the earthly refreshment he had afforded was more prized by the grovel- 
ling multitude than heaven and all its blessings. 

The Saviour reproved their earthly-mindedness by saying, " Labor 
not for the meat which perisheth, but for that which endureth unto 
everlasting life." Did he mean to forbid honest labor for our living ? 
By no means. It is commanded that if any will not work, neither 
should he eat. The expression signifies, " Labor not so much for the 
meat which perisheth, as for that which endureth unto everlasting life. 
Labor not at all for it in comparison with the earnestness with which 
you labor for heavenly blessings." Do we obey this direction ? Are 
we indeed much more eager and anxious about eternal things than 
about earthly pleasures, or comforts? What' we are most anxious 
about will be uppermost in our thoughts. What is uppermost in our 
thoughts ? Perhaps we are not as poor as these people were, and are 
not therefore as anxious as they were about one meal. But if it be 
wrong to be so much engrossed about necessary food, surely it is much 
more wrong to be engrossed by unnecessary earthly things — such as 
pleasures, even harmless pleasures — the favor of men — the increase of 
our property — or the success of our studies ! There is one thing 
needful : the meat which endureth unto everlasting life. 

Yet we, helpless, sinful creatures, never could obtain this by our 
most earnest strivings, were it not intrusted to the Son of God to beslow 
upon us. God the Father hath given eternal life to the Son for us, 
and sealed the Son. A king places his own seal upon his written com- 
mands, that men may know they are his ; so God the Father sealed 
his Son, by enabling him to do miracles, and thus showed men that 
He had sent him. Our duty is to believe upon this Son, who can give 
us eternal life. 

The people asked, in a self-righteous spirit, " What shall we do that 
we might work the works of God ?" They seemed to think that they 
could do something to entitle themselves to eternal life. This was 
impossible. Guilty, polluted creatures can. do nothing really good. 
But there is a Saviour to whom they may apply for pardon and grace. 
Jesus directed them to Himself when he said, " This is the work of 
God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." He calls believing 
a work. Yet it is not a work of merit ; for it is the beggar coming 
to the king for alms ; it is the criminal suing to the judge for mercy. 
This is the first work that each of us must perform. There is one 
who is able to save and to destroy : He is the Son of God. All power 
is committed unto him. Do we earnestly apply to him for salva- 
tion? How foolish only to ask Him for fading flowers, when he 
could bestow a crown of life ! How foolish only to fear the pricking 
of the thorns and thistles, when the sword of eternal wrath is in his 
hand ! Let us not insult this Saviour by seeking his lesser gifts, while 
we neglect to implore that gift which he bought for us with his blood ' 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. XIX. The freciousnei : of God's word 



214 THE MULTITUDE ASK BREAD. [may 4. 

John VI. 30-34. — They ask him to give them bread. 

Our Lord frequently took occasion from circumstances to explain 
spiritual truths. Once, when sitting by a well, he instructed a woman 
who came to draw water, and exhorted her to seek for living water. 
Now Jesus was speaking to persons who had shown a great anxiety 
for bread, and he took the opportunity to direct their attention to the 
bread that came down from heaven. 

There was much unbelief and ignorance displayed by the Jews in 
this conversation. They pretended that they had not received suffi- 
cient proof of his authority, and said, " What sign showest thou then, 
that we may see and believe thee ?" He had already given them a 
most wonderful sign in the miracle of the loaves, yet they required 
more evidence ; but this was not granted to them. They even ven- 
tured to dictate to the Saviour what he ought to do, and referred in an 
insolent way to the miracle of the manna, as if they wished Him to 
understand that Moses, in giving bread from heaven, had wrought a 
greater miracle than himself. Jesus took no notice of the bad spirit 
they displayed, but showed them they were mistaken when they said 
that Moses had given them bread from heaven. The manna had not 
come from the heaven of heavens, where God's glory is manifested, 
but from the lower regions of the skies ; besides, Moses did not give 
that bread ; he did not create it : nor was it living bread ; it would not 
give life to the dead, or even preserve the life of the living. But there 
was a bread that could both give life to the dead, and preserve life for 
evermore : this cread was the Son of God. 

The people understood not what Jesus meant, when he spoke of the 
" Bread of God ;" but ignorantly cried, " Lord, evermore give us this 
bread." How many have made prayers as ignorant as this, and have 
received answers that they little expected ! The woman of Samaria 
knew not what she asked when she said, " Give me of this water, that 
I thirst not, neither come hither to draw." But her petition, so blindly 
offered, was graciously granted, for she soon received the water of the 
Holy Spirit into her heart. We may also believe that those who ig- 
norantly asked for heavenly bread, were satisfied beyond their expec- 
tations. If God did not deal thus graciously with sinners, who could 
be saved ! For we are all found by Him in a state of ignorance and 
enmity : our first prayers resemble the cry of this people : " Lord, 
evermore give us this bread." Some of us perhaps can remember our 
feelings just before we turned to God. We felt the misery of our state ; 
we longed to find something better than we had found ; but we knew 
not what we needed. We had heard that there was help in God ; we 
cried to him, but in such a manner that any Being less gracious than 
Himself would have disregarded us. But his ways are not as our 
ways, nor his thoughts as our thoughts. He pitied us in our low es- 
tate, and led us by ways that we knew not, to a knowledge of his Son. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ex. XVI. 1-21. Manna given. 



MAY 5.] CHRIST THE BREAD OF LIFE. 215 



John VI. 35-40. — Christ declares himself to be the bread of life. 

Among the crowd who surrounded the Lord while he taught in the 
synagogue, there were some who believed not, (v. 64.) But there 
were some who would come to him, and be his crown forever. This 
he knew : this was his consolation among all the taunts and jeers of 
the multitude while in the synagogue, and even afterwards when he 
was on the Cross. 

It was to those people, who did, or would believe on him, that Jesus 
referred when he said, " A.11 that the Father giveth me shall come unto 
me." They had not all yet come unto him,' but he knew they would 
come unto him, for his Father had given them to him. O what a gift 
it was ! Polluted, guilty, helpless sinners were the gift the Father 
bestowed upon the Son as the reward of all his sufferings. It was the 
compassion of his heart that made the Saviour value such a gift. 

A family of poor children was once bequeathed by a dying parent to 
a rich man. The legacy was accepted. Many were astonished at the 
kindness and condescension of the rich man. What trouble, and care, 
and expense such a gift involved ! The children must be fed, and 
clothed, and educated, and provided for : the rich man was willing to 
do it all ; and he did it all. And what will not the Saviour do for 
those whom the Father has given to him ! He will receive them, even 
as he said, " Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out." 
When they come to him, however helpless and diseased and destitute 
they may be, he will graciously welcome them into his house of mercy, 
and place them at his children's table. 

Nor is this all ; he will raise them up at the last day. It is ap- 
pointed unto all men once to die, (whether they believe in Jesus, or 
not ;) but it is also appointed that some shall rise to everlasting life. 
Jesus promises to be with his children as they pass through the val- 
ley of the shadow of death, to receive their souls into paradise, to 
watch over their sleeping dust, and then at the sound of the last trump 
to raise them from their graves, to clothe them with glorious bodies 
like his own, and to welcome them into mansions of everlasting bliss. 
All this will Jesus do for every one that comes to him. 

And why will he do all this ? He himself tells us why. Because 
it is the will of the Father that sent him. " This is the will of him 
that sent me, that every one that seeth the Son and believeth on him, 
may have everlasting life ; and I will raise him up at the last day." 
The Son delights in doing his Father's will, even more than he does 
in showing mercy to sinners. It was the Father who appointed him 
to be the Saviour of the world ; and the Father knew how much the 
Son delighted in the work. When a person we love exceedingly gives 
us a command, we are ready to obey that command, however painful 
it may be ; but when the work he appoints is that in which our soul 
delights, there is a double joy in obedience. 



216 CHRIST PROMISES HIS FLESH AND BLOOD. [may 6. 

Ought we not to be astonished to think that the Father and the Son, 
who fill heaven and earth, should have interested themselves in our 
wretched race, — should have cared for you and me ! How guilty we 
must be, if we reject such wonderful mercy ! We can have no excuse 
for not coming to Jesus, when we are so fully assured of a gracious 
reception. We shall not be repulsed, we shall not be upbraided, we 
shall not even be coldly received. Why then need we fear to come ? 

Evening Scripture portion. Ex. XVI. 22 to end. Manna laid up. 



John VI. 41-58. — He promises to give his flesh and blood for the 

world. 

To what unbelieving earthly hearts Christ addressed this heavenly 
discourse ! The Jews murmured, because they could not understand 
the truths he declared. They said that Jesus did not come from 
heaven, and the reason they alleged for thinking so was, that Joseph 
was his father. Had they inquired into his history, or meditated upon 
the prophecies, they could not have urged this objection. 

They said also that Jesus could not give them his flesh to eat. The 
Lord did not attempt to answer their objections, because he knew they 
were not in a fit state of mind to receive his words. He replied, to his 
enemies in a very different manner from that which might have been 
expected. (See v. 44.) " No man can come unto me, except the Fa- 
ther which hath sent me draw him." He quoted also this verse from 
the prophet Isaiah : " And they shall be all taught of God." Who 
shall be taught of God ? His children. Whom does a father teach ? 
His own children. God also teaches His children. What does he 
teach them ? He teaches them their need of a Saviour. None will 
come to Christ till they have been taught that they cannot do without 
him. It may appear strange that men do not find out this by them- 
selves. But they do not. Starving people know that they are star- 
ving ; but starving souls do not know that they are perishing, till God 
teaches them. They feel uneasy ; but they do not know the cause of 
the aching void in their own hearts ; and even when the bread of life 
is presented to them, they refuse it. But when God by his Holy 
Spirit has convinced them that they are in a perishing state, and that 
none but Christ can save them, then they thankfully accept the living 
bread. Has God taught any of us to feel our need of the Saviour ? 
Then may we say in the words of the poet : 

Why was I made to hear thy voice, 
And enter while there's room ; 
When thousands make a wretched choice, 
And rather starve than come ? 



MAY 7.] SPIRITUAL MEANING OF THIS DECLARATION. 217 

But Jesus spoke not only of bread, he spoke also of flesh and blood. 
He said, " Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his 
blood, ye have no life in you," (v. 53.) The Jews were forbidden to 
taste blood, because it was the life of the animal. What did Jesus 
mean by eating his flesh and drinking his blood ? He spoke of his 
own death. By his death sinners have life. Man has long been ac- 
customed to kill beasts to preserve his own life. It seems fit that such 
creatures should die, in order that we may live. But how wonderful 
it is that the Son of God should die, that worms of the earth, such as 
we are, should live eternally. It would not be right that a man should 
die in order that beasts should live. Yet the Son of God laid down 
his life for us. 

But his death will not save us, unless we believe in him. Believing 
in him is compared to eating and drinking. His flesh has been broken 
on the cross ; his blood has been shed on Calvary ; but has each of us 
believed in him ? Have / believed in him ? Have you believed in 
him ? Eating bread and drinking wine at the Lord's supper will not 
save us. The sacraments are only signs of something greater than 
themselves. It was not till long after Jesus had spoken these words, 
that he ordained the holy communion of bread and wine, saying, " Do 
this in remembrance of me." He did not speak of that communion, 
when he said, " Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his 
blood, ye have no life in you." No ; he spoke of faith in his death. 
There is a supper to which he invites you : it is not administered in a 
church ; it is not bestowed by human hands ; it is not received into 
the mouth. This supper is spoken of in this passage of the Revela- 
tion : " Behold I stand at the door and knock : if any man hear my 
voice, and open the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him, 
and he with me." (Rev. hi. 20.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Rev. III. Supping with Christ. 



John VI. 59-65. — He explains the spiritual meaning of this declara- 
tion. 

We find that many of the disciples of Jesus were offended by his 
discourse concerning his own flesh and blood. We must remember 
that all the followers of Christ were called disciples, whereas only 
twelve were called " apostles." The twelve apostles are not meant by 
the word disciple in this passage. Why did these disciples murmur ? 
Because they could not understand how Jesus could give them his flesh 
to eat. They thought he meant that his flesh must literally be eaten ; 
whereas he spoke of a spiritual thing ; — of obtaining life through faith 
in his death. 

28 



218 SPIRITUAL MEANING OF THIS DECLARATION. [may 7. 

He told them that they would be still more astonished when he as- 
cended up where he was before, even into heaven ; for then it would 
be clearly seen that he did not speak of his real flesh and blood, as 
they would be changed, and return to heaven. " What and if ye shall 
see the Son of man ascend up where he was before !" What would 
you say then 1 Jesus proceeded to explain his words, as far as they 
could be explained. 

He said, " The Spirit quickeneth, or gives life." Bread and wine 
cannot give life. No, the Spirit alone gives life. " The flesh profiteth 
nothing." By "flesh" forms and ceremonies are meant. They can- 
not profit the soul by any power in them. It is right to keep the ordi- 
nances of Christ, and to partake of the Supper he has ordained in re- 
membrance of his death. Believers account it an unspeakable privi- 
lege to approach their Lord's table ; but no ordinances, not even those 
of divine appointment, can impart spiritual life. Jesus directs us to 
his Father as the only source of life. 

When he saw men did not believe, he told them, " No man can 
come unto me, except it be given unto him of my Father." Why did 
he declare this doctrine ? Has it not often furnished unbelievers with 
an excuse for not coming to him ? His reason for declaring it was that 
he might convince man of his danger and helplessness. Many have 
been alarmed from hearing it, and have been led to call out, " What 
shall we do to be saved ?" A reasonable creature is often led to think, 
" Am I indeed in a state of death ! And can I not raise myself from 
it ? What will become of me, if the Father do not lead me to believe 
in Christ !" These are profitable thoughts, and often induce the sin- 
ner to call with earnestness upon God. A few years ago, the son of 
pious parents entered into a church. He had lately lost a praying 
mother, and his heart was softened by the event : but he had not turn- 
ed to his mother's God. The preacher set before his audience the de- 
claration of the Lord Jesus, " No man can come unto me, except the 
Father which has sent me, draw him." The youth was alarmed, " What, 
is my mother dead," thought he ; " is her voice silent, and am I still 
unconverted ? And what if God should never bestow upon me his 
converting grace ?" He offered up earnest prayers. The Lord heard 
him, blessed him, and chose him to be one of his faithful ministers. 

What ought to be the feelings of believers when they reflect that 
they never could have come to Christ, if it had not been given unto 
them of the Father. Have we believed ? Then what thanks can we 
render for our escape from perdition, and for our hope of glory ! We 
would ever be " Giving thanks unto the Father, who hath made us' 
meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath 
delivered us from the power of darkness, and translated us into the 
kingdom of his dear Son." 

Evening Scripture portion. Col. I. Thankfulness for conversion. 



MAY 8.] WILL THE APOSTLES ALSO GO AWAY. 219 



John VJ. 66 to end. — He asks the apostles whether they will go away. 

No minister ought to be surprised when people are offended by his 
sermons, seeing that some were so much displeased with this discourse 
of the blessed Jesus, as to walk no more with him. What was the 
doctrine that gave offence ? It was this, " No man can come unto me 
except it be given him of my Father." This truth wounds the pride 
of man. It shows him that he cannot repent when he chooses, or turn 
to God at his own time. Proud sinners do not like to find that they 
are so utterly dependent upon God's mercy. Yet are we not depend- 
ent upon God for every thing? For life; for food, for raiment, for 
health, for earthly happiness ? Surely, then, upon God we must be 
dependent for eternal life and heavenly bliss. Happy dependence ! for 
has not God promised to give these blessings to all who ask him ? 

Great was the folly of the disciples who forsook the instructions of 
infinite wisdom ! Could the compassionate Jesus behold their conduct 
without feeling grief on their account ! He looked at the little flock 
that still remained faithful, and addressed to them this tender appeal : 
" Will ye also go away ?" We may well conceive that it was in a 
tone of fatherly affection these words were uttered. They went to the 
heart of the frank and generous Peter, and drew from him (on behalf 
of the rest as well as himself) this earnest declaration : " Lord, to 
whom shall we go? Thou hast. the words of eternal life, and we be- 
lieve and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." 
Peter's warm expressions of love and fidelity were acceptable to his 
Divine Master. Though the world may deride professions of attach- 
ment to Christ, they were never reproved by the Lord himself. 

There was no insincerity in Peter's assurances, but there was more 
weakness in his heart than he was aware of. No temptation had yet 
occurred to induce him to forsake his Saviour ; but Jesus well knew 
that the day would come when all that little band would leave him in 
the hands of his enemies. The doctrines that He had declared had 
not offended them, but the sufferings that he must undergo, — these 
would prove their stumbling-block. Peter, who was loudest in his 
professions of attachment, would not only forsake, but also deny his 
Master. Could he at that moment have foreseen his base conduct in 
the judgment-hall, he would have added petitions to his professions. 
In the Epistles he wrote many years afterwards, he speaks of the saints 
as " kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation." He 
found to his cost that he could not stand by his own power. In the 
same epistle he warns believers against the enemy who had nearly de- 
stro3^ed him, and says, " Be sober, be vigilant ; for your adversary the 
devil walketh about, as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." 

Do our hearts at this moment glow with grateful affection to our 
Saviour? Are we ready to exclaim, "To whom shall we go, if we 
forsake him ? No other teacher can show us the way of life ; no other 



220 JESUS EATS WITH UNWASHEN HANDS. [may 9. 

friend can comfort us in the hour of sorrow ; no other advocate can 
plead for us in the day of judgment !" Yet let us remember that this 
love, we think so strong, will be tried. Jn what manner it will be 
tried, we cannot foresee. The devices of Satan are innumerable. He 
knows our characters, and understands how to assail us to the greatest 
advantage. He has succeeded in causing eminent saints to forsake 
their God for a tohile. Jerome of Prague, and our Cranmer, as well 
as the apostle Peter, were tempted to deny the Master they loved ; yet 
at last all three laid down their lives in his cause ; for the children of 
God are brought back by their loving Shepherd's rod into the fold 
whence they have wandered. 

Jesus knew that all his beloved apostles would be restored, ex- 
cepting one, who was " a devil." Judas was distinguished from his 
brethren by this dark token, " indifference to his Lord." It was he 
who so strongly objected to Mary's memorable act of love, the pour- 
ing the precious ointment on her Saviour's head. Yet he so far suc- 
ceeded in deceiving his fellow apostles, as to be intrusted with the 
bag containing their little all. The love and esteem of professed 
Christians for each other, are often very much misplaced. We 
ought not to solace ourselves with the thought that the best of men 
approve us, if our hearts are conscious that we do not love the 
Saviour. Jesus is loved by all the saints in earth, even by the 
weakest : he is still more loved by the saints in heaven ; he has been 
ever loved by the innumerable hosts of glorious angels. By whom 
then is he not beloved ? By devils in hell ; and by some un- 
grateful men, who, though they know he died for them, yet refuse to 
love him. 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Cor. XVI. Love to Christ. 



Matt. XV. 1-20. — Jesus eats with unwashen hands. 

It has often been observed, that in the character of Jesus, opposite 
qualities were united. We seldom (or perhaps never) see a man 
remarkable at once for meekness, and for boldness. Yet our Lord 
was remarkable for both. The incident we have just read, affords an 
instance of his boldness in dealing faithfully with his powerful and 
malicious enemies. 

He would not countenance the custom of washing the hands before 
taking food. Yet was not this a harmless custom ? Why did he not 
comply with it ? Because, though harmless in itself, it was enforced 
on the people as a religious duty. The Jewish teachers taught the 
people that food defiled them unless eaten with washen hands. Now 



MAY 9.] JESUS EATS WITH UNWASHEN HANDS. 221 

this was not a doctrine of God's word. These elders (or teachers) 
ought to have taught the truths contained in God's holy word. It was 
their office to explain the Scriptures to the people ; but instead of 
doing this, they added commandments of their own. Jesus expressed 
his disapprobation of their conduct by not observing these human 
commandments. The custom of washing the hands before eating was 
innocent in itself ; but there were other commandments taught by the 
elders that were very pernicious. Jesus gave an instance of one 
of these. God had commanded children to honor their parents. A 
child who honors his parents will provide for them in old age. But 
the Jewish teachers taught the people, that if they gave some money 
to the priests for the service of the temple, that then they might be 
excused from supporting their aged parents. They instructed children 
to say to their decrepit parents, " It is a gift ; what I should have 
given you has been bestowed upon the temple ; so that I can do 
nothing for you." Such conduct was exceedingly wicked ; yet the 
Jewish teachers said it was right. 

We see from this instance that it is very dangerous to follow the 
opinions of men concerning what is wrong, or what is right. What 
God commands is good — what he forbids is evil ; and the word of 
God is the only rule of good and evil. 

Of course the Pharisees were extremely enraged against Christ 
for exposing their false instructions. But Jesus had so much com- 
passion for the poor ignorant people, that he chose to undeceive 
them ; though by this line of conduct he increased the hatred of his 
enemies. Had we more compassion for the ignorant, we should have 
less fear of man. A father would not stand by and see his child 
poisoned, whomever he might offend by his opposition. 

Jesus explained clearly to the people in the presence of their 
teachers, in what respect they were deceived. He called them, and 
said, " Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man ; but that 
which cometh out of the mouth, that defileth a man." Yet even the 
disciples could not understand this simple truth, and Peter called it a 
"parable" and asked Jesus to explain it. It is very hard to get rid 
of prejudices which have long darkened the mind. The heathen, 
even when converted, are apt to retain many superstitious ideas im- 
bibed in their infancy. We are all naturally disposed to think that 
ceremonies can profit our soul ; whereas none can sanctify us but the 
Spirit of God, and nothing can defile us but sin. Neither is it the 
sinful action only that pollutes : the sinful thought (which gives rise to 
the action) pollutes far more. It is not the act of stealing only, but 
the desire to possess our neighbor's property, that defiles ; it is not the 
ivords of the lie merely, but the wish to deceive, that stains the man ; 
it is not so much the blasphemous expressions, as the irreverent 
feeling towards God, that constitutes the essence of profaneness. 
We perceive, therefore, that even if we have not committed gross and 
open transgressions, we are, notwithstanding, deeply polluted. Such 



222 THE WOMAN OF TYRE. [may 10. 

defilement, no ceremonies can remove. Water cannot wash the 
heart. The blood of Christ alone can cleanse the inner man. It is 
a spiritual washing that we need ; Jesus himself must wash us or we 
perish. He is gracious, and will pardon the vilest sinner that im- 
plores his mercy ; he will not only pardon him but sanctify him, and 
give him a new heart full of holy desires. 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. XXIX. 1-19. Hypocrisy. 



Matt. XV. 21-28. — The woman of Tyre. 

It is very interesting to observe the various ways in which Jesus 
behaved to afflicted persons. Some, he offered to relieve ; saying to 
one at the pool of Bethesda, " Wilt thou be made whole ?" and to 
another with a withered hand at the synagogue, " Stretch forth thy 
hand." Others he restored on their first application to him ; — while 
he suffered the woman of Canaan to plead long and earnestly before 
he showed her mercy. Yet even this delay was the cause of her ob- 
taining greater favor in the end ; for it gave her the opportunity of 
proving the strength of her faith. Before he exposed her to this test, 
he knew that she could endure it. The compassionate Saviour pro- 
portions our trials to our strength, and will bring upon us no tempta- 
tion greater than we are able to bear. A sharp trial is often a sign 
that he confides in our fidelity. Had a weak saint been tried as Job 
was, he would have been overwhelmed ; but God knew that his ser- 
vant would prove faithful. 

When we consider who this woman was, we have reason to be 
astonished at the attainments she had made. She was a Canaanite, a 
daughter of the cursed race. She was not descended from Abraham, 
the friend of God ; — she was not one of the nation of Israel. No ; 
she was descended from ignorant heathen. She resided in the wicked 
city of Tyre ; and she had been brought up in the Greek or heathen 
religion ; yet it appears evident that she had obtained some knowledge 
of the true God, and that she possessed a hearty faith in his name. 
How could she have called Jesus the Son of David, had she not 
heard of the prophecy made unto David concerning One who should 
sit upon his throne ? She was evidently a child of God, born again 
of the Holy Spirit, and bringing forth the fruits of the Spirit, — faith, 
patience, and humility. She had such faith, that she believed that 
Jesus would have mercy on her, in spite of his apparent unkindness ; 
she had such patience that she continued, notwithstanding repeated 
denials, to press her suit ; and she had such humility, that she could 
bear to be called a dog. 



MAY Jl.] THE DEAF AND DUMB MAN. 223 

Let us now observe Christ's conduct towards this woman. The 
disciples in a spirit of selfishness, and not of compassion, entreated 
their Master to send away the poor suppliant. Jesus is never weary 
of the cry of distress ; above all, the voice of faith, though choked 
with tears and sighs, ever sounds sweet in his ears. The mother is 
glad to hear those cries which prove that her babe lives ; and the 
Saviour rejoices to hear those petitions which are the tokens of spirit- 
ual life. 

Have we ever prayed as this woman did ? Have not we as great 
requests to make as she had ? She implored a temporal blessing, 
and received an answer. Had she never prayed for spiritual bless- 
ings ? Her faith, her patience, her humility, prove that she must have 
prayed for them — whether beneath some fig-tree, as Nathanael did, or 
in some chamber of her heathen home, — we know not. She was a 
true believer, and therefore must have been a secret worshipper. She 
had learned to trust in her God from his dealings with her in times past, 
and therefore she was not dismayed by her Saviour's seeming stern- 
ness. We also must have secret transactions with our God. When 
we have experienced his pardoning mercy, we shall be able to trust 
him with all our concerns. It is indeed a comfort to a mother, when 
a child is sick, to have a God in whom to confide. Sometimes he 
may see good to take her child away ; but He will in the end reward 
believing prayer by imparting unspeakable consolation. 

Evening Scripture portion. Job I. Trials. 



Mark VII. 31 to end. — The deaf and dumb man. 

We here find the Lord Jesus again visiting Decapolis on the bor- 
ders of the lake. On a former occasion he had healed two poor de- 
moniacs, who dwelt among the tombs. The treatment which he had 
received from the owners of the swine, did not prevent him from again 
visiting their shores. There were many sufferers there whom he de- 
signed to relieve and to bless. It is probable that his way had been 
prepared by that poor man who had desired to accompany him, but 
who had remained behind that he might tell " what great things the 
Lord had done for him." With what warmth that man must have 
spoken to his countrymen of the compassion of his Lord ! Those who 
have lately experienced the loving-kindness of the Saviour cannot 
speak of him with coldness. The testimony of one such person often 
produces a great effect upon the minds of many. 

We know not by what means the friends of the deaf and dumb man 
were induced to apply to Jesus. Though deprived of two valuable 
faculties, the afflicted man possessed the blessing of affectionate friends, 



224 CHRIST HEALS THE MULTITUDE [may 12 

who besought the Lord to heal him. We read of a paralytic at the 
pool of Bethesda, who had no friend to help him in his weakness. 

The Lord did not relieve the deaf and dumb man immediately ; he 
first took him to a retired place, where he might perform the miracle 
unseen by the multitude. He healed him in a remarkable manner. 
Before he uttered the words, " Be opened," he put his fingers in the 
man's ears, spit, touched his tongue, looked up to heaven, and sighed. 
These actions were, no doubt, designed to instruct the deaf and dumb 
man. Though this man could not hear, he could feel the sacred touch, 
he could see the eyes uplifted, and perceive the deep-drawn sigh. 
The touch taught him that it was through the power of Jesus he was 
healed ; the upward look that it was by the will of his Father in 
heaven, and the sigh, that the Saviour felt compassion for his infirmities. 

Had this man been cured by natural means, he would have had to 
learn the use of language gradually ; but those whom Jesus healed 
were endowed with the power of using their restored faculties imme- 
diately. The dumb man spake plain. Thus the prophecy of Isaiah 
was in one instance fulfilled, " The ears of the deaf shall be unstopped, 
and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly." 

We have seen, in this miracle, that Jesus adapted the mode of cure 
to the circumstances of the afflicted man. By what various means he 
now cures the spiritual infirmities of men ! He knows how to treat 
each case in the most suitable manner. There are many different 
states of mind to be found among the unconverted, and all seem to us 
cases very hard to cure. The wisdom of Jesus enables him to meet 
the difficulties of each case that he undertakes to relieve. He knows 
how to solemnize the light mind of one, and how to abase the proud 
spirit of another ; how to tame the violent temper, and to enlarge the 
selfish heart. It is very interesting to consider the peculiar circum- 
stances attending the conversion of each sinner to God. 

" By what way has the Lord brought you to listen to his voice ?" 
Have you indeed been brought to listen to it ? Or are you still deaf 
to his gracious invitations ? 

Evening Scripture portion. Job XXXIII. God's dealings with men. 



Matt. XV. 29-31. — Christ heals the multitude on the mountain-top. 

The miracle wrought upon the deaf and dumb man brought a host 
of suppliants to the feet of Jesus. The mountain-top was his throne 
of mercy, and thence he rebuked the diseases of the imploring multi- 
tude. Could any occupation have more gratified his loving heart ! 
Yes ; there was one which would have been still more delightful to 
him. Had penitents implored his pardon as earnestly as these suf- 



MAY 12. J ON THE MOUNTAIN-TOP. 225 

ferers besought his healing mercy, he would have felt a deeper joy. 
The day shall come when all men shall apply to Him for the forgive- 
ness of their sins ; with weeping and with supplication shall they come, 
each one mourning for his iniquity. 

It is to be remarked, that the poor sufferers were brought by their 
friends, who cast them down at the feet of Jesus. The afflicted crea- 
tures were not able to come alone. How could the lame have climbed 
the hill ? How could the blind have found the way, and how could 
the dumb have sued for mercy ? But by the kindness of their friends 
they reached the blessed spot, and made known their wretched state. 
It may be we ourselves owe to the kindness of our friends, under God, 
in times past, the salvation of our souls. Was there no affectionate 
relative who expostulated with us in the days of our folly, who per- 
suaded us to accompany him to hear some faithful preacher, and who 
encouraged us to forsake the world, and to serve tlie Lord ? In some 
instances it was a mother's prayers, long offered to God in secret, with 
many tears, that drew down upon the soul eternal blessings. How 
much do we owe to such friends for all their love to us, and all their 
exertions for our good ! We ought to show the same kindness to 
others, that they once showed to us. Have we no unconverted rela- 
tives to cast at the feet of Jesus by secret supplications ? Have we 
none to whom we might send a letter of entreaty, or a book adapted to 
their case ? Are there none whom we might draw to the house of 
God, to hear the gospel preached with fervor and with power ? These 
services of love bind the hearts of the children of God to each other. 

You may conceive how much the sufferers who had been cast at 
the Saviour's feet must afterwards have loved those who had laid 
them there. When restored, did they not go to seek for others, 
afflicted as they once had been ? There was no room here for strife 
and contention; there was enough virtue in Jesus to heal all who 
came. When men bestow gifts, there must be a limit to their 
extent, and this circumstance gives rise to competition and jealousy ; 
but Jesus is like the sun in the heavens, who has shed -his beams for 
ages upon benighted worlds, and is still as full of glorious light as 
when he first began to shine. There is no rivalry among penitent 
sinners. There is a fountain in which all may wash, and be clean ; 
there is a heaven to which all may go, and be happy. In that abode 
of bliss, benefits received from our fellow-creatures upon earth will 
not be forgotten. There will exist in those worlds stronger ties than 
the nearest knowm in this. The converts who form the joy and crow T n 
of the blessed apostle Paul, are nearer and dearer to him than children 
are to any father upon earth. 

But if saints entertain a grateful love towards each other, what must 
they feel for the Saviour who died for them ! Surely the dumb, the 
blind, the maimed, whom Jesus healed, must have loved their 
gracious benefactor. It is recorded of a poor blind ' boy, that such 
was his affection for the physician who had couched his eyes, and re- 

29 



226 CHRIST FEEDS FIVE THOUSAND WITH SEVEN LOAVES, [may 13. 

stored his sight, that he never saw him without shedding tears of joy ; 
and that when disappointed of an expected visit, he could not forbear 
weeping. The saints on earth begin to feel this love for their 
Saviour ; but now they love imperfectly. In heaven this love will be 
the spring of all their thoughts. It is written upon the tomb of one 
of God's servants,* this saying, which he had expressed in his life- 
time : " To love is heaven ; to love a little less imperfectly is the fore- 
taste of heaven." 

Evening Scripture portion. — Ps. CIII. The Lord's mercy. 



Matt. XV. 32 to end. — Christ feeds Jive thousand with seven loaves. 

For three days seated upon a mountain, surrounded by the afflicted 
and the ignorant, our blessed Lord had manifested his compassion for 
our fallen race. At the end of that period, he displayed his benefi- 
cence by feeding the multitude. He had refused to feed them when 
they came because of the loaves ; but now that they had been gathered 
together from other motives, he provided for their wants. It is so 
now. The Lord does not promise to provide for the temporal wants 
of those who attempt to serve him from interested views, but only for 
those who seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. 

Is it not surprising that the disciples should say the second time, 
" Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill 
so great a multitude ?" How soon they had forgotten the five loaves 
and the five thousand ! But can we remember no similar instance of 
forgetfulness in our own history ? Has not the Lord on many oc- 
casions in times past gone beyond our highest expectations ? And yet 
are we not prone in every fresh difficulty to doubt his power and his 
faithfulness ? David remembered that God had delivered him out of 
the paw of the lion and the bear, and therefore he believed that He 
would deliver him out of the hand of the mighty giant. Whenever' 
we find ourselves placed in difficulties, we should remember the 
" years of the right-hand of the Most High ;" that is, we should re- 
member the events of past years, and the deliverances we have 
received. How many fears have we entertained ! Have they been 
realized 1 Has not the Lord been better to us than our fears ? and 
better than our hopes too? The Lord, who fed the multitude, can 
supply the largest family with bread. The pious parent may trust 
Him to send provision for all his little ones. The affectionate 
daughter may feel assured that the Lord will help her to sustain hei 

* See the Life of Gonthier, the Swiss Pastor. 






MAY 14.] CHRIST REFUSES TO GRANT A SIGN. 227 

widowed mother. The weak in health, and declining in years, may 
confide in the Lord not to leave them to pine neglected and forlorn ; 
for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open 
unto their prayers. 

The Lord is able to supply his perishing creatures with more en- 
daring food than bread. The disciples ought to have known that the 
bread they distributed signified that flesh which Jesus would give for 
the life of the world ; for they had lately heard their Master discourse 
upon this subject. The Lord has already raised up many faithful 
ministers who proclaim to his people the crucified Saviour. This was 
his promise in days of old : " I will give you pastors according to 
mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge, and with under- 
standing," (Jer. hi. 15.) If all congregations had the same appetite 
for the bread of life that this multitude had for common bread, how 
joyfully would pastors exercise their ministry ! But of what congre- 
gation can it be said, " They did all eat and were filled ?" Too 
many persons have no appetite for the heavenly feast ; they sit as 
God's people sit, but they partake not of the sacred fare : they go 
away to feed again upon ashes, and at length die without having 
tasted of that bread, which if a man eat, he shall live forever. But 
there is a congregation above, in number far exceeding four thousand, 
or one hundred and forty-four thousand — a multitude that no man 
can number, who are fed by the Lord himself with heavenly manna. 
They hunger no more, because the Lamb which is in the midst of the 
throne feeds them. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. XXXIV. The blessedness of trusting in God. 



Matt. XVI. 1-4. — Christ refuses to grant a sign to"the Pharisees 
and Sadducees. 

It is not certain what the sign from heaven was that the Pharisees 
and Sadducees desired to see; probably it was some display of 
Christ's glory, such as he afterwards gave to his most favored dis- 
ciples upon the mount. But whatever the sign required might be, the 
motive that led these men to ask for it was a very evil one — it was the 
desire not to believe. And why did they entertain this desire ? Be- 
cause they hated Jesus. It is our desires and our feelings that mark 
our characters in God's sight. 

And what were the feelings of the Saviour on this occasion ? St. 
Mark records a circumstance which shows us what, they were. In 
Mark viii. 12, we read, "And he sighed deeply in his spirit." The 
hardness of men's hearts grieved the Saviour more than all the 



228 CHRIST REFUSES TO GRANT A SIGN. [MAY 14. 

sufferings of his life. It is a sign of grace in the heart when a man is 
deeply grieved by hearing of sin committed against others ; but it is a 
still better sign when he is grieved, rather than angry, at sins com- 
mitted against himself. There are some to be found among the 
followers of Jesus, who have imbibed this feeling from their Master. 
The most cutting reproaches have excited no other emotion than this 
regret : " Alas, he who hates me is blind, and knows not what he 
does." \ 

The Lord condescended patiently to argue with these unbelievers. He ( 
proved that their doubts respecting his being the Son of God did not! 
arise from want of understanding ; for they showed their understand-' 
ing by knowing the signs of the weather. Their understandings were 
good enough to enable them to know that he was the Son of God, be- 
cause all the signs the prophets had described, had come to pass. We 
cannot now consider what these signs were. The miracles Jesus per- 
formed were among them ; for Isaiah had prophesied that the tongue 
of the dumb should sing when the Saviour came, that the ears of the 
deaf should be unstopped, and that the lame man should leap as an 
hart, (Is. xxxv.) 

Jesus declared that one sign only should be given to these unbeliev- 
ers, — the sign that God once gave to the Ninevites. 

Jonas was cast into the sea, and was swallowed by a whale. Thus 
Jesus would be cast into the grave, and lie hid in the tomb. As Jonas 
was delivered from the whale, so Jesus was raised from the tomb. As 
Jonas warned the people of Nineveh that their city would be destroyed 
in forty days, so Jesus warned the people of Jerusalem that their city 
would be destroyed in forty years ; that is, before that generation would 
pass away. But whereas the Ninevites repented at the preaching of 
Jonas, the Jews did not repent at the preaching of the Lord and his 
apostles. 

The words which are recorded in the conclusion of this passage 
(verse 4) are awful : "Jesus left them and departed," — left them in 
mingled sorrow and displeasure. To be left by Jesus is almost the 
greatest calamity that can befall a human creature ! There is one ca- 
lamity greater, which is this — to hear Jesus say, " Depart from me." 
If left by Jesus, we may implore his return ; but when he says 
" Depart," we never can be admitted any more into His presence. 
Some, who have despised religious privileges while they possessed 
them, have learned their value, after they have lost them ; and some- 
times God has graciously restored the blessings they had forfeited. 
But it too often happens that when Jesus leaves a people, he leaves 
them to their impenitence and hardness of heart, and that when they 
see Him again, it is to hear Him say, " Depart from me, ye cursed, 
into everlasting fire." 

Evening Scripture portion. Jonah I II. The whale. 



MAY 15.J CHRIST WARNS HIS DISCIPLES. 229 



Matt. XVI. 5-12. — He warns his disciples against the leaven of the 
Pharisees and Sadducees. 

We often find that people did not understand our Saviour when 
he spoke of spiritual things under the image of earthly ones. Thus, 
when he spoke of living water to the woman of Samaria, the woman 
did not understand him. Neither did his disciples now understand 
him when he spoke of leaven. He did not reprove the woman of Sa- 
maria for not comprehending his meaning, because she had never en- 
joyed opportunities of instruction ; but he expected better things from 
his own disciples, and he rebuked them, saying, " How is it that ye do 
not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread V And how 
was it that they did not understand ? Had they not lived long enough 
with their Master to know his way of discourse ? 

It was unbelief which clouded their minds. Because they had ta- 
ken no bread with them in the ship, they feared that they should suffer 
from hunger ; though their Lord was in the ship, and though He had 
promised to supply all their need. 

They did not express these unbelieving thoughts aloud ; but their 
Master knew they cherished them in their hearts. Who ventures to 
go to God to express in words his secret unbelief? Who could say in 
prayer, " We cannot trust thee in time to come ? We think it likely 
that thou wilt forsake us, that thou wilt not care for our tears, or heed 
our cries." We dare not speak thus to our heavenly Father. Why 
then should we think what we dare not speak ? 

Jesus was displeased with his disciples on two accounts : for their 
want of faith, and for their want of spiritual understanding. How 
could they suppose that the earthly leaven of the Pharisees was worse 
than any other leaven ? Leaven could not be the worse for belonging 
to wicked men. Jesus had lately shown his disciples that nothing but 
sin could pollute ; yet their minds were so much darkened by early 
prejudices that they could not receive this simple truth. 

And what was the leaven of which the Saviour bids his disciples 
beware ? It was the false doctrine, or teaching, of the Pharisees and 
Sadducees. Both these sects taught errors ; but opposite errors. 
The Pharisees added to the word of God ; — the Sadducees took from 
it. The Pharisees added to it commandments of their own invention ; 
the Sadducees took from it all but the five books of Moses, and even 
these they did not fully believe, for they would receive nothing that 
they did not understand. The Pharisees were superstitious, — the 
Sadducees were skeptical. The world is now full of persons, who, 
though bearing different names, preach doctrines like those of the 
Pharisees and Sadducees. Papists resemble the Pharisees, and infi- 
dels the Sadducees. 

Were even the disciples in danger of being tainted by bad doctrine 1 
Ought we not to fear its evil influence ? Bad doctrine, like infected 



230 CHRIST CURES A BLIND MAN [MAY 16. 

air, finds entrance through the smallest aperture, and unseen spreads a 
pestilence all around. As leaven will change the nature of a whole 
lump of flour, so bad doctrine will injure all the powers of the mind, 
and all the feelings of the heart. The venerable Howells used to 
say, " Error in principle is the parent of vice in practice" If it be so, 
how carefully we ought to shun bad doctrine ! Though we may be 
well instructed in the truth, yet we are liable to be corrupted by false 
teachers. There are some melancholy instances of persons who had 
instructed thousands by their pious writings, receiving in their advan- 
ced years false principles into their minds, and attempting to pervert 
those whom once they had edified. Our constant prayer ought to be, 
" Hold thou me up, that my footsteps slip not." 

By what mark may we distinguish good doctrine from false ? By 
this mark ; the true doctrine exalts Christ, and humbles man ; it is 
summed up in these words : " Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; 
but in me is thy help," (Hosea xiii. 9.) 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 John IV. The truth. 



Mark VIII. 22-26. — He cures a blind man by touching him twvce. 

There is one circumstance in this miracle which we do not meet 
with in any other — it is the gradual manner in which the cure was ef- 
fected ; the blind man was not suddenly restored to sight, but by 
degrees. 

There are several other interesting circumstances connected with 
this miracle, though they are not peculiar to it. It is evident that this 
man did not belong to the town of Bethsaida, for after he was cured, 
Jesus desired him to return to his house, but not to enter the town. 
Bethsaida was one of those cities most highly favored, and most deeply 
guilty, for it repented not at the preaching of Jesus. On this account 
a wo was pronounced against it. " Wo unto thee, Bethsaida." 
The friends of the blind man heard that the Lord was arrived at Beth- 
saida, and they went thither, and besought mercy for the afflicted 
creature. 

It often happens when the gospel is preached in a town, that while 
it is despised by the inhabitants of the place, it is valued by those who 
live in distant villages. The Lord showed his displeasure against the 
people of Bethsaida, by leading the blind man out of the town before 
he cured him, and by forbidding him to return there afterwards. Those 
who hate the gospel often take great pains to avoid hearing it, and God 
sometimes meets their wicked desires by taking measures to prevent 
their being troubled by the unwelcome sound. 

How touching is the account of the kind manner in which Jesus 



MAY 16.] CHRIST CURES A BLIND MAN. 231 

conducted the blind man out of the town ! " He led him by the hand." 
Behold the Son of God leading the blind by a way that he knew not, to 
the retired spot in which he intended to restore him to sight. Perhaps 
this blind man was but little acquainted with his benefactor, and was 
not fully aware of his power to cure his blindness. Thus many are 
led by Jesus to the place where they are converted. They know not 
whither the events *of Providence are guiding them ; they know not 
why they are removed from one place to another ; why one path is 
blocked up, and another opened before them, till at length they find 
that all was arranged to bring about this blessed end, the opening of 
their blind eyes. 

Jesus cured this blind man by the use of outward means, and not by 
his word alone ; He spat on his eyes, and touched them. Perhaps he 
did so that he might more fully convince him that He alone was the 
author of his cure ; there was a virtue in his touch, a power in the 
simplest means when applied by Him, that could remove blindness. 
Thus it is now. The most trifling circumstances are made by the 
power of Christ effectual to open the eyes of unbelievers. 

A few years ago, an infidel saw a child reading the Bible, and said 
to him, in a scornful manner, " You cannot comprehend that book, why 
do you read it ?" The child replied, " I delight in it, and therefore I 
try to understand it." This simple answer struck the infidel so power- 
fully, that he was led to reflect seriously on the cause of his unbelief, 
and to apply to God for his Holy- Spirit. 

This blind man, it appears, had not been born blind, for he knew 
the names of surrounding objects. His sight was so imperfectly re- 
stored at first, that it was only by their movements that he could dis- 
tinguish men from trees ; he knew that those were men that he be- 
held, because they walked. Jesus would not suffer him to remain in 
this state, but soon completely restored his sight. He laid his hand 
upon him the second time. Are not we reminded by this account of 
our own case ? Has spiritual light been. bestowed upon us ? Is that 
sight perfect? Can we understand spiritual things distinctly and 
fully ? We must reply, " No, we see through a glass darkly." Not 
through such a glass as in these days admits light into our rooms ; but 
we see spiritual truths in the same confused manner that objects are 
seen reflected upon ancient mirrors, which were only made of polished 
brass. This is the state of the most enlightened Christian ; he sees 
eternal things " darkly." How much more is it the state of new con- 
verts ! They can just discern (though faintly) what it is most neces- 
sary to know ; they see that sin is hateful, that God is holy, and that 
Christ is precious ; but there are many important truths they cannot 
distinguish ; and when they meditate on them they are perplexed and 
distressed. 

What is the only remedy for the darkness of our minds ? The touch 
of Jesus. Let him touch us by his Spirit the second time, and the 
third time. Let him continue to touch our eyes with his divine eye- 



232 CHRIST PRONOUNCES A BLESSING [may 17. 

salve, till we can see him as he is, that we also may be like him. 
When the apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians, though he knew they 
were converted, yet he told them that he constantly prayed that the 
eyes of their understanding might be enlightened, that they might 
know the hope of their calling, and the riches of their glorious inherit- 
ance. (Eph. i. 18.) These are the things that we so dimly discern. 
We do not behold the excellency of heaven with sufficient, clearness. 
But the day shall come when those who now see imperfectly shall see 
face to face, shall know even as they are known. 

" O glorious hour, O blest abode, 
I shall be near and like my God, 
And flesh and sin no more control 
The sacred pleasures of the soul." 

Those are indeed miserable who say, " We see," though they see not. 
Let us continually cry, "Anoint our eyes, that we may see more and 
more of thy divine glory, O blessed Lord !" 

Evening Scripture portion. Ex. XXXIII. The request of Moses. 



M>tt. XVI. 13-20. — He pronounces a blessing upon Peter. 

In this passage we are permitted to behold Jesus and his disciples 
in sacred retirement. The towns of Caesarea Philippi were situated 
at the northern part of the land, where the Lord was in some degree 
relieved from the pressure of the multitude. Such seasons he devoted 
to the instruction of his beloved apostles. With them he joined in 
holy exercises. We never hear of his praying with the multitude ; 
but we know that he often prayed alone with his chosen flock. After 
his prayer, he conversed with them upon sacred subjects. He asked 
them, " W r hom do men say that I the Son of man am ?" It appears 
from their answer, that the multitude did not believe him to be the Son 
of God. But when he asked his disciples who he was, Simon Peter 
answered for the rest : " Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living 
God." 

The Lord was pleased with this bold confession of faith, and he 
said, " Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona." When Peter first came to 
Jesus, Simon was his name, but Christ gave him the name of Peter 
which means a stone. Who was it had taught Peter that Jesus was 
the Son of God ? Flesh and blood had not taught him ; that is, no 
man had taught him ; but the Father himself. Men can never make 
us believe in Christ ; they cannot give us faith. It comes from God 
alone. Those who have not been taught by God, may appear to be 
religious ; but they will forsake Christ in times of persecution. But 



MAY 17 J UPON PETER. 233 

Peter would in the end (though not at first) prove firm as a stone. 
Christ knew this when he said, " Thou art Peter." 

But was Peter the rock on which Christ would build his church ? 
No. There is only one rock, that is Christ himself. Peter had just 
declared, " Thou art the Christ." By believing this truth, sinners are 
saved. Peter, after his Lord's ascension, often proclaimed this truth. 
On one occasion, he said before the enemies of his crucified Master, 
" This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which is 
become the head of the corner ; neither is there salvation in any other, 
for there is none other name given under heaven among men whereby 
we must be saved." (Acts iv. 11, 12.) Have we believed in this 
name ? Unless we do believe, we must perish. 

True believers are called the church. It was of this church that 
Christ spoke when he said, " The gates of hell shall not prevail against 
it." By the gates of hell he meant the powers of darkness, or Satan 
and his angels, who are now trying to destroy the church of Christ ; 
but they never can succeed, because it is built upon the eternal rock. 

Christ showed great favor to Peter, when he said, " I give unto thee 
the keys of the kingdom of heaven." Power belongs to God alone. 
He shuts, and no man opens, and opens and no man shuts ; but 
Christ communicated some of his own power to his apostles. Before 
he ascended to heaven, he breathed on them and said, " Receive ye 
the Holy Ghost. Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted to 
them, and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained." The apostles 
proved their authority by the miracles they wrought. 

It was not to Peter alone that power was given, but to all the 
apostles. We find from reading the book of Acts, that Peter pos- 
sessed no authority over his brethren. Why then did Jesus on this 
occasion say to him especially, " I give unto thee the keys of the 
kingdom of heaven." The reason seems to be, that as it was 
Peter who had made the declaration, " Thou art the Christ," it was 
to him that Jesus replied. After the Lord had ascended, Paul be- 
came an apostle, and though he called himself the least of the apostles, 
he was in nothing behind the very chiefest of them ; and he proved 
his apostleship by the signs and wonders which he wrought. 

The apostles were stewards of the mysteries of God. They had 
the keys in their hands, and they unlocked their Lord's treasury, and 
distributed among men his unsearchable riches. While many trample 
these pearls under their feet, may we count all things but dross for the 
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts III. The apostles heal a lame man. 

30 



234 CHRIST REPROVES PETER. [may 18. 

Matt. XVI. 21 to end. — Christ reproves Peter. 

In our last reading, Peter was called " blessed," and was promised 
many privileges ; now he is rebuked as " Satan.'" Yes, the meek and 
gentle Jesus uttered this severe rebuke, " Get thee behind me, 
Satan." Thus we see that a true believer is liable to displease the 
Lord. 

Peter was a true believer ; yet on this occasion he acted the part of 
Satan towards his Master, by advising him not to endure suffering. 
No doubt he was partly actuated by affection, but his Master did not 
overlook the fault on that account. Peter ought to have had the 
glory of God more at heart than to have wished the Son of God not 
to fulfil his glorious work, even unto death. Christ therefore calls 
him an offence, or a stumbling-block. Those are not our best friends, 
who endeavor to persuade us to please ourselves, rather than to please 
God. We should be afraid to listen to them, and we should prefer 
the friendship of those who counsel us to endure hardness, as good 
soldiers of Jesus Christ. 

Probably there lurked at the bottom of Peter's heart a desire him- 
self to escape suffering with a suffering master ; therefore Jesus told 
him plainly that he must deny himself, and take up his cross. Nor 
did he speak to him alone, but to each of us. " If any man will 
come after me, let him deny himself," that is, his earthly desires, for 
ease, pleasure, riches, esteem, — " and let him take up his cross," thaf 
is, let him prepare even to die for my sake. The spirit of a Chris- 
tian is the spirit of a martyr ; he is ready to give up all things, even 
life itself, for Christ. 

Many souls have been converted by this solemn appeal, "What is 
a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own 
soul ?" It was a sermon preached upon this text that first led the 
missionary John Williams to care for his soul. He was an ungodly 
youth at the time he heard it ; but afterwards he gave up the world, 
took up his cross, and followed Christ. At length he lost his life in 
his service. Having landed upon the island of Erromango, in the 
New Hebrides, hoping to preach the gospel there, he was pursued by 
the natives. He had just reached the sea, when he fell down, was 
overtaken, and bruised to death by the clubs of the savages. His 
blood was mingled with the waves, his flesh was devoured by canni- 
bals, and his bones made into fish-barbs. But will he regret the 
choice he made, in the day when the Son of man shall come in his 
glory ? When we consider what the Son of God gave up for our 
sakes, how little every sacrifice appears that we can make for him ! 
Our great motive ought to be "gratitude" to him who shed his blood 
for sinners ; and it is the great motive of all true Christians. 

What did Jesus mean when he said, " There be some standing 
here which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man 



MAY 19.] THE TRANSFIGURATION. 235 

coming in his kingdom." He could not mean that some of his 
apostles would live till he came to judge the world ; for he has not 
come yet, and they have long been dead. Did he' mean that some of 
them should soon see him in his glory ? In the next chapter there is an 
account of his glorious appearance upon a mountain, in the presence 
of three of the apostles. Could men now see Jesus as he will appear 
when he comes in clouds as King of kings, and Lord of lords, how 
mean and worthless all earthly glory would appear ! 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Cor. XL Sufferings for Christ's sake. 



Matt. XVII. 1-4. — The Transfiguration. 

We lately read of Jesus conversing with his disciples respecting 
his sufferings. Now we read of his unveiling to them his glory. 
The prophet Isaiah foretold that his face should be more marred (or 
disfigured) than the face of any man. (Is. lii. 14.) No doubt, there- 
fore, he wore usually an aspect of care and sorrow ; but on this oc- 
casion he permitted the glories of his divine nature to shine forth 
through his frail earthly tabernacle. Thus he gave us a glimpse of 
the glory which awaits all the saints ; for when they shall see Him as 
he is, they shall be like Him, and their vile bodies shall be changed 
into the likeness of his glorious body. 

The mountain upon which this change in the appearance of the 
Lord took place, is supposed to be Mount Tabor, in Galilee. This 
mountain stands alone, and its top is not pointed like that of most 
mountains, but broad and flat, and therefore well-suited for a resting 
place. Its height is not great. In one hour it may be ascended. In 
this retired and lovely spot our Saviour was 'praying (as St. Luke in- 
forms us) with three of his disciples, when his form underwent a 
most glorious alteration. Have not many of his servants in all ages 
experienced a like glorious change in their feelings when engaged in 
prayer ? Has not the gloom that oppressed them when they began 
to pour out their souls before God, been succeeded by the light of 
heavenly day ? 

The Saviour was attended on the mount by two heavenly visitants, 
Moses and Elias. Like their Lord, both these holy men, when on 
earth, had fasted for forty days in the wilderness. But all their suf- 
ferings were over, while the bitterest sufferings of Jesus were yet to 
come. These prophets were well prepared, by what they had them- . 
selves endured, to comfort their Lord in the prospect of his agonizing! 
death. That death was the subject of their discourse. The Saviour j 
could obtain no consolation from his apostles ; their minds were still 
dazzled by hopes of earthly glory ; but he could obtain the most 
tender sympathy from the discourse of his glorified servants. 



236 THE VOICE OF GOD ON THE MOUNT. [may 20. 

The appearance of those departed saints on the mount, is calcu- 
lated to comfort us also in the prospect of death. Are we not led from 
this fact, (as from many others,) to believe, that the spirits of the saints 
do immediately pass into glory, and that they do not wait for the gene- 
ral resurrection to be introduced into the presence of Christ ? 

How was it that Peter knew that the glorious persons he beheld 
were Moses and Elias ? We are not informed by what means the 
discovery was made. But does not this circumstance give us reason 
to believe that we shall know the saints in glory, — not only our own 
friend-s, whom we loved upon earth, but all the saints ? How delightful 
is the prospect ! What will be the raptures of fellowship with such a 
company ! And yet this will be one of the lesser delights of heaven, 
for the presence of Jesus will be the chief. 

Peter was delighted with the scene, and desired that it should never 
be interrupted. In the warmth of his feelings, he made an unwise 
request ; he asked permission to prepare three tents, for the abode of 
Christ and his prophets. It was unwise, because Peter himself was 
not fit to continue in such a scene ; flesh and blood cannot inherit the 
kingdom of God ; we must therefore all be changed, and this mortal 
must put on immortality. Besides this, Peter forgot the unwelcome 
truths that his Master had lately revealed ; he forgot that Christ must 
be offered as a sacrifice for sin before he could enter into his glory, 
and that his disciples must partake of his sufferings, before they could 
partake of his glory. But though the request betrayed an ignorant 
mind, it showed an affectionate heart. Had not Peter's heart been 
full of love to his Lord, he would not have thought it such exceeding 
joy to behold Christ and his saints, and to hear their conversation. 
No ungodly man would feel satisfied in such company ; he would feel 
anxious to escape to his earthly delights, and his congenial society. 
He would not say, " It is good for me to be here." It is a sign we 
have made one step in religion, if we really prefer the society of the 
godly to any other pleasure. Yet there may still be much that is weak 
and wavering in our hearts, as there was in Peter's. It is hard to 
attain to the feelings of Paul when he said, " I reckon that the suffer 
ings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory 
which shall be revealed in us." (Rom. viii. 18.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. XVI. XVII. Heavenly desires. 



Matt. XVII. 5-9. — The voice of God on the Mount. 

In the Old Testament, we read of God speaking to Israel from the 
top of Mount Sinai. On that occasion there was blackness, and dark- 
ness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words ; 



MAY 20.] THE VOICE OF GOD ON THE MOUNT. 237 

so terrible was the sight, that even Moses said, " I exceedingly fear 
and quake ;" and so terrible was the sound, that Israel entreated that 
they might hear the voice of God no more. (Deut. v. 25.) 

In how different a manner God spoke to the three favored apostles 
on the summit of Mount Tabor ! And what was the reason of this 
difference ? 

The words that the Father spoke tell us why he laid aside his ter- 
rors, and arrayed himself in the mildest beams of celestial glory. He 
was well pleased in his beloved Son. His wrath against a guilty 
world was displayed upon Mount Sinai ; his delight in his righteous 
Son was manifested upon Mount Tabor. Neither was his favor 
shown to his Son alone, but to those three -trembling apostles who 
loved that Son ; for they also entered into the bright cloud. Why 
then were they so sore afraid ? Why did they fall on their faces ? 
Because, since man became a sinner, be has never been able to bear 
the manifestation of the glory of Jehovah. The smoke and the tor- 
ments of hell are not the only sights that would overwhelm a mortal 
man ; the brightness and the joys of heaven would be more than he 
could bear to behold. Now Peter perceived how unwisely he had 
spoken when he had requested always to abide on that mountain top. 
But God, who knew the weakness of his dying creatures, did not pro- 
long the glorious scene. In a little while the apostles were left alone 
with Jesus. Though they felt his familiar hand, and heard his well- 
known voice, yet at first they could hardly believe that the heavenly 
vision was past. St. Mark records that they " looked round about, 
and saw no man any more, save Jesus, with themselves." 

Who can conceive the feelings with which those three apostles de- 
scended the mount ! They had seen heaven come down to earth ; 
how could they return to earth again ! They had beheld glorified saints ; 
they had heard the voice of the eternal Father ; they had witnessed 
the glories of their beloved, yet despised Master. Who can doubt that 
their hearts were burning with the desire to describe the wonderful 
scene to their brethren at the foot of the mount, and perhaps even to 
declare it to the proud enemies that continually assailed them with 
taunts and reproaches. But Jesus imposed silence upon them. He 
said, " Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of Man be risen again 
from the dead." He knew that at this time they would have been dis- 
believed, if they had related what they had seen. It was enough for 
these blessed disciples that they themselves had enjoyed a glimpse of 
celestial glory. The recollection would help to sustain their faith 
when they should behold their Lord agonizing and bleeding in the 
garden ; for it is remarkable that Jesus chose the same men to be wit- 
nesses of his glory and of his agony. 

And why did he distinguish these three above their brethren ? Was 
it not because they were appointed to endure peculiar trials ? The 
Lord foretold that James and John would drink of his cup of bitter- 
ness, and be baptized with his baptism of suffering ; and he prepared 



238 CHRIST CONVERSES WITH HIS DISCIPLES. | MAY 21. 

Peter for the painful and ignominious death of the cross. Jesus 
knows beforehand what sufferings each of his servants will be called 
to endure, and he knows who most needs bright displays of his present 
glory, and near views of his past agonies. In acute suffering of any 
kind, the thoughts that most sustain the mind are the remembrance of 
Christ crucified, and the anticipation of beholding Christ glorified. 
How many have said, when in great pain, " What are my sufferings 
compared to the sufferings of Jesus for my sins !" How many when 
pressed down with sorrow have felt, " How soon will the sight of my 
glorious Redeemer make my present grief appear light as air !" 

Evening Scripture portion. Ex. XIX. Mount Sinai. 



Matt. XVII. 10-13. — Christ converses with his disciples respecting 

Elijah. 

As the disciples descended the Mount of Transfiguration, they 
ventured to enter into conversation with their Lord. They knew so 
well the condescension of their Master, that they even proposed a 
difficult question on a subject that perplexed them. It was this : 
"Why say the Scribes that Elias must first come ?" (that is, before 
the Messiah.) Their thoughts naturally dwelt upon the wonderful 
scene they had just beheld. They had seen the prophet Elijah. 
They remembered having heard their Scribes, or teachers, declare 
that God would send Elijah before his great and dreadful day. Nor 
had the Scribes been mistaken in this declaration, for it is contained 
in the last chapter of the Old Testament, in Malachi iv. Yet the 
appearance of Elijah on the Mount was not the real fulfilment of that 
prophecy. Our Lord himself explained this difficult subject, and 
declared that John the Baptist had been prophesied of under the name 
of Elijah. It is evident that this explanation surprised the disciples. 
Perhaps they had never heard that the angel had told Zacharias, (the 
father of John the Baptist,) that his expected son should come in the 
spirit and power of Elias. There was a great resemblance between 
these two prophets ; their characters, their offices, their habits, their 
afflictions, were similar. But in one point the. difference between 
them was striking — their manner of departing out of this world ; 
Elijah ascended, like a conqueror, in a chariot of fire ; John was 
executed, like a criminal, in a prison. In this one point wherein John 
the Baptist differed from Elijah, he enjoyed the far greater honor of 
resembling his divine Lord. 

The Saviour, after alluding to the treatment John had received, 
added, " Likewise also shall the Son of Man suffer of them." The 



MAY 22.] THE AFFLICTED FATHER. 239 

disciples were unwilling indeed to believe that their Master should 
suffer. Though John, who was a mortal man, might fall a victim to 
the malice of his enemies, they thought it impossible that the Son of 
God should thus end his glorious career. But the Jews always per- 
secuted the living prophets. They venerated those who were no 
longer on earth ; but they hated those who lived in their own day. 
The name of Elijah was much set by ; but the name of the Baptist 
was despised. . The Jews little imagined that the preacher in the wil- 
derness, clad in rough garments, and followed by the poor among the 
people, was the representative of the illustrious, the glorified Elijah. 
Jesus truly said of John the Baptist, " They knew him not." Even 
so it is now. The world knows not the servants of God. They 
speak with reverence of some holy men who are dead, such as the 
apostles, the martyrs, the reformers ; while they often treat with con- 
tempt many of the living who most resemble those departed saints. 

In their own day, how were the apostles regarded ? One of them- 
selves declares that they were counted as " the filth of the earth," 
and as " the offscouring of all things." (1 Cor. iv. 13.) And how 
were the martyrs esteemed in their day ? When that undaunted 
sufferer, Bennet, was burning at the stake near Exeter, in the reign of 
our eighth Henry, the men and women who stood around, ran with 
the alacrity of demons, to gather either a stick, or a bundle of furze ; 
that each might have some share in the death of one whom they 
esteemed a " vile heretic."* Truly " they knew him not." 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Kings II. Elijah's translation. 



Mark IX. 14-27.— The afflicted father. 

When the Lord reached the foot of the Mount, he beheld a scene 
of sin, and sorrow, and suffering. There were the scornful scribes, 
the weak and wavering disciples, the poor demoniac, and the afflicted 
father, with the wondering multitude gathered around them. How 
unlike was this scene from that which the three apostles had just 
witnessed on the top of the mountain ! There all was light and love, 
perfect bliss, and ineffable joy. Angels behold the same painful 
contrast, for as they gaze upon the glory of God, the)?- also watch 
over the sorrows of men. 

It seems as if our Lord must have retained a measure of brightness 
upon his countenance ; for it is said that the people were greatly 
amazed when they saw him, and it is difficult to conjecture any other 
cause for their amazement. At that moment might be seen on one 

* See English Martyrology, by Charlotte Elizabeth, vol. i. p. 86. 



240 THE AFFLICTED FATHER. [may 22. 

spot the effects of heavenly influence, and hellish power. The Son 
of God still shone with some lingering beams of the Father's glory ; 
while the afflicted youth was reduced by Satan to the most degraded 
condition. How affecting was the sight ! A human being, made in 
the image of God, lay on the ground, and wallowed foaming. Each 
of us stands now between two opposite states. Shall we ascend to a 
fairer world, where Christ and his glorified saints enjoy unspeakable 
bliss? or shall we sink into that place where the slaves' of Satan 
suffer every sort of degradation and misery? Now is the time to 
apply to Jesus, as the sorrowful father did, that we may obtain 
deliverance from our great enemy. The same power that released 
this youth from Satan's chain, can free every other captive. 

The case was a very inveterate one. It was one of long standing, 
and great malignity ; therefore it was the better suited to display the 
Almighty power of Jesus. He loves to save where it is most evident 
that no other hand but His can afford help. 

The prayers of the father showed a tveak, though a true faith. 
" If thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us and help us." A 
severe master would have rejected such a prayer as this. But Jesus 
cherishes the tenderest bud of living faith. He answered, " If thou 
canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." The poor 
man was encouraged by this assurance to offer up a still more earnest 
prayer than before. He cried out with tears, " Lord, I believe ; help 
thou mine unbelief." Did not the Holy Spirit dictate this prayer ? 
" We know not what we should pray for as we ought ; but the Spirit 
itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be 
uttered." (Rom. viji. 26.) Have our hearts ever been so full of good 
desires that we could only speak a few words ? And were these 
words half choked with tears and sobs ? God has heard those 
prayers. He never despises the broken and contrite heart. He 
attended to the prayer of this poor man. 

Satan showed his malice against the youth who was going to be 
delivered from his power. The evil spirit rent the youth sore, before 
he came out of him, and he left him as one dead. Many have found 
that Satan has pursued them with the most painful temptations, just 
as they were escaping from his bondage. The tenderness of Jesus is 
as striking as the malice of Satan. The Lord took the poor youth by 
the hand and lifted him up. 

It was the father's faith that had obtained the restoration of his 
son. Here is an encouragement for parents. If Jesus showed so 
much compassion to one who prayed for a bodily cure for his son, 
how much more must he feel for those who implore spiritual bles- 
sings for their children ! 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Rom. VIII. 18 to end. The Spirit s intercession. 






MAY 23.] ON THE POWER OF FAITH. 241 



Matt. XVII. 19-21. — Christ speaks to his disciples on the power of 

faith. 

It was very right in the disciples to inquire why they could not cast 
out the evil spirit. Whenever we have been foiled in an attempt to 
overcome sin, we ought to inquire what is the reason of the failure, 
and we shall find that the cause was the unbelief of our hearts. Per- 
haps before the Lord came and showed his power in casting out the 
spirit, the disciples thought that the obstacle to success was in the 
father. But it had been clearly proved that the father was in a fit 
state of mind to receive the mercy he implored. The hinderance was 
in the disciples' hearts : they had not faith enough in the power of God 
to enable them to exercise the miraculous gifts that had been bestowed 
upon them. 

The Lord, after having told them of their unbelief, added these re- 
markable words : " If ye have faith, as a grain of mustard-seed, ye 
shall say to this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall 
remove ; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." It is supposed 
that our Saviour in this declaration made use of the words of a proverb, 
well understood among the Jews. A mustard-seed was a term used 
to represent a very small quantity ; because a mustard-seed is the 
smallest of all seeds, in proportion to the size of the tree it produces. 
A mountain was a term used to represent a very great difficulty ; be- 
cause a mountain cannot be removed by the power of man. The 
meaning of our Saviour's words appears therefore to be this : " If you 
have even a small degree of real faith concerning the gifts that I have 
bestowed upon you, you will be able to perform astonishing miracles." 
It was the duty of the disciples to believe that God would help them 
to work miracles. And why was it their duty ? Because Christ had 
promised to enable them to perform them. Faith is the belief of God's 
promises. It is not our duty to believe that God will help us to work 
miracles. And why not? Because God has not promised to give us 
that power. But he has given us other promises, exceedingly great 
and precious ; and if we possess true faith, which, like a mustard-seed, 
will grow continually, we shall at length be able to overcome every 
difficulty that stands in the way of our salvation. 

What difficulties has God promised to enable us to overcome ? He 
has promised to enable us to overcome the world. " Who is he that 
overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of 
God?" (1 John v. 4.) He has promised to enable us to overcome 
the body of death, that is sin. St. Paul said, " wretched man that I 
am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death ? I thank God 
through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. vii. 24, 25.) He has prom- 
ised to enable us to overcome the devil : " Resist the devil, and he will 
flee from you." God will fulfil all his promises to us, if we have faith 
And how is faith to be obtained, and increased ? By prayer, and, in 

31 



242 CHRIST FORETELLS HIS SUFFERINGS. [may 24. 

some cases, by fasting a]so. It appears the disciples had neglect- 
ed to pray and fast. The evil spirit that possessed the youth was of a 
peculiarly malicious and violent kind, but still even that kind might be 
cast out by prayer and fasting. Let us therefore never complain that 
we cannot overcome any sin ; for if we prayed earnestly we should 
obtain help according to our need. There is nothing too hard for God 
to do, and there is nothing too hard for believers to do, when called and 
assisted by the Lord. St. Paul declared, " I can do all things through 
Christ which strengtheneth me." 

Evening Scripture portion. Heb. XI. 23 to end. The power of faith. 



Luke IX. 43-46. — Christ foretells his sufferings. 

The Lord Jesus took every opportunity to prepare his disciples foi 
his approaching death. He knew what a fearful trial it would prove 
to their weak faith. When men succeeded in apprehending him, and 
in crucifying him, it would appear to human eyes as if he could not 
be the Son of God. How could he preserve his disciples' faith from 
failing at that very time ? By showing them that he knew beforehand 
all he should suffer. 

It is in the same way that the Lord now seeks to preserve the minds 
of his followers from discouragement. Does it perplex a young con- 
vert to find that true religion is despised by the great and the learned ? 
Is it not written, " Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, 
not many noble are called ?" — Is he staggered when he detects hypo- 
crites among the professed followers of Christ ? Is it not written, 
" Not every one that saith unto me, ' Lord, Lord,' shall enter the king- 
dom of heaven ?" — Is he dismayed by meeting with numerous tempta- 
tions and difficulties in his own path ? Is it not written, " In the world 
ye shall have tribulation?" Thus the Lord has mercifully prepared 
his people for every trial of faith that can come upon them. 

Yet there is need to say continually to them, " Let these sayings 
sink down into your ears." We are disposed to pass over lightly those 
things which we do not like to hear. The disciples could not bear to 
hear of their Lord's painful and ignominious death. Each display of 
his power and glory filled them with fresh hope that nothing but suc- 
cess and triumph awaited their beloved Master. Therefore, after every 
such display he reverted to the unwelcome, but profitable subject. 
When descending from the Mount of Transfiguration, he spoke of his 
sufferings ; when he had wrought one of his most splendid miracles, 
(the deliverance of the furious demoniac,) he dwelt upon the mournful 
topic of his death. Yet the disciples could not receive this truth into 
their hearts. They believed it in a degree, for St. Matthew says, 



MAY 25.J CHRIST PAYS TRIBUTE. 243 

" They were exceeding sorry," but they believed it in a very faint de 
gree. Whence arose this dulness of understanding ? The Lord need- 
ed not to impress all truths upon them so repeatedly. They under- 
stood that he was the Son of God, and that he was able to conquer all 
his enemies. They understood these joyful truths, because they loved 
ihem ; but they understood not those mournful truths, because they 
did not love them. Their hearts were still full of worldly desires. In- 
stead of being humbled by the want of faith which they had lately be- 
trayed, they disputed, as they followed their Master, which should be 
the greatest. 

If our understandings are dull in spiritual things, it is because our 
hearts are sinful. Every wrong feeling is like a film over the eye of 
the mind. Till we are converted we can see nothing of the glory of 
God ; but even after conversion we see indistinctly ; because much 
sin remains in our hearts. If we would grow in the knowledge of 
Christ, we must grow in grace. St. Peter concludes his second epis- 
tle with these words : " Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our 
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To whom be glory both now and 
forever. Amen." 

When God would teach his servants, he often first sends them afflic- 
tions to subdue their sins, and then he instructs them in his heavenly 
truths. 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Thess. III. The afflictions of believers. 



Matt. XVII. 24 to end. — Christ pays tribute. 

We now find our blessed Lord returned to his own city, Capernaum, 
and to the house where he generally lodged. . The collectprs of tribute- 
money called at that lowly abode, and seeing 'Peter near it, asked him 
whether his Master would pay the sum required of him. This tribute 
was not to be paid to Caesar, the emperor, but to the priests, for the 
sacrifices of the temple. Every person above twenty years of age 
was required to pay yearly half a shekel, or about one shilling and 
threepence of our money. The Lord Jesus, as the Son of God, might 
have excused himself from paying this tribute for the service of his 
own Father, because kings do not demand taxes from their own chil- 
dren : yet he would not use this privilege, because he knew that it 
would be made a matter of accusation against him. The world would 
have misunderstood his motives. They would have suspected him of 
indifference to the service of the temple. He knew this was an occa- 
sion on which to exercise his miraculous powers. His divine attributes 
now shone forth in a most glorious manner. He displayed his Om- 
niscience, for he described the circumstances of a certain fish then 



244 CHRIST TEACHES HUMILITY. [may 26. 

swimming in the lake of Gennesareth. He showed his Omnipotence, 
for he caused that very fish to come to Peter's hook. He showed also 
his love for his disciple ; as the piece of money found in the fish was 
a whole shekel, (in value about half-a-crown,) and would suffice to pay 
Peter's tribute as well as his Master's. 

This miracle was calculated to strengthen the apostle's weak faith 
under approaching trials. It was evident that He, who knew all about 
an insignificant fish, must foresee the manner of his own death ; it was 
evident that He, who could direct the movements of that little animal 
in the depths of the sea, could escape from his own enemies, if he 
pleased to exert his Almighty power. I 

And surely this miracle must be a comfort to all God's people. The 
most minute circumstances concerning ourselves are seen by that eye 
which discerned the little fish in the water : the smallest incidents in 
our lives are ordered by that hand which brought the fish to Peter's 
hook. "Why then should we fear ? What evil can betide us, if we 
belong to Christ, and trust in him 1 We know not what a day may 
bring forth ; but He does. We may (like him) be reduced to our last 
piece of money, but he can supply us with more at the needful mo- 
ment. How can any be so unwise, as not to seek the favor of the Gov- 
ernor of the whole universe ? What a privilege it is to belong to his 
family ! What a comfort to be under his fatherly care ! 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Kings XVII. Elijah miraculously fed. 



Mark IX. 33-37. — Christ teaches humility by the example of a child. 

It is interesting to hear what the Lord Jesus said to the multitude 
in his public discourses ; but it is still more interesting to hear what 
he said to his disciples in his private conversations. In these retired 
scenes we behold, and admire, not only his wisdom, but also his pa- 
tience. 

How displeasing it must have been to the Lord, while he was talking 
of his sufferings, to know that his disciples, who were accompanying 
him on the road, were disputing who should be the greatest ! Yet he 
patiently waited for a seasonable opportunity of reproving them. 

When he was come into the house he asked them, " What was it 
that you disputed among yourselves by the way ?" Their own con- 
sciences told them that they had acted wrong, and they were ashamed 
to acknowledge their fault to their Master. What a dignity the Lord 
preserved among his most familiar friends ! Though gentle and con- 
descending, he made them feel ashamed of sin. 



MAY 27.] CASTING OUT DEVILS IN CHRIST'S NAME. 245 

Seated among his disciples, as a father among his children, he 
began to explain to them their error. What was it he disapproved? 
It was the feeling whence the dispute arose. It was the desire to be 
first. Eve ate the fruit with a desire to be as God. We, her 
children, inherit this wicked desire. The grace of God alone can 
root it out of our hearts. 

In order to make a stronger impression upon the disciples' minds, 
the Lord took a little child, and set him in the midst of them, as an 
example of humility. A very little child has not understanding 
enough to desire to be first ; the thought never enters into its mind. 
It follows its mother from place to place, caring not whether she be a 
queen or a peasant. It never looks for admiration, and shrinks from 
the notice of all, but its beloved parents and nurses. The Christian, 
also, ought to be indifferent to earthly distinctions. He is, in fact, a 
pardoned criminal, and should be too deeply penitent for his trans- 
gressions against his Lord, to wish for honor among his fellows. 

Observe what affection Christ showed to the young child. He took 
him in his arms, and while he still held the little creature in his em- 
brace, thus spoke to his disciples: " Wliosoever shall receive one of 
such children in my name, receiveth me." The humble, the contrite, 
and the penitent, are such children. If we wish to please our Lord, 
we shall show great tenderness to his humble disciples. Whatever 
crimes they may have committed in past times, we shall forget them, 
because the blood of Christ has blotted them out. It is not those 
who have committed the fewest open sins that God loves best ; but 
those who are the least in their own eyes ; these are his dearest chil- 
dren. It is our honor to be allowed to comfort them. 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Numbers XVI. 1-35. The rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. 



Mark IX. 38-42. — Christ directs his disciples not to forbid the man 
who cast out devils in his name. 

When our Saviour was instructing his disciples, he permitted them 
to ask him questions, and to express their doubts. While he was 
teaching them the duty of humility, a doubt occurred to John's mind 
respecting his own conduct on a late occasion. 

It was frank and ingenuous in the apostle to express this doubt to 
his Master. He suspected that he had acted wrong, but he did not on 
that account conceal his conduct. How apt we are to conceal from 
the friends we most revere, those actions which we fear have been 
faulty ! while, if we were frankly to acknowledge them, we might ob- 
tain valuable counsel. 



246 CASTING OUT DEVILS IN CHRIST'S NAME. [may 27 

Though it was John only who mentioned the circumstance, yet it 
appears that all the disciples had united in forbidding the man to cast 
out devils. Nine of them had very lately, from unbelief, failed in 
working a miracle ; and yet they ventured to forbid a man whose faith 
was evidently greater than their own. Did not this conduct betray 
much presumption ? How dreadful, too, was the calamity from 
which this man released his fellow-creatures, even from Satan's 
bondage ! Could the disciples see the poor demoniac just before 
writhing and foaming, now peaceful and thoughtful, and forbid a 
brother to attempt to deliver others from their sufferings ? Yes, they 
were so blinded by one false notion, that they overlooked all other 
considerations. They imagined their Master would set up a temporal 
kingdom, and that it would consist of those only who were called (as 
they had been) to follow him from place to place. But our Lord had 
servants who were not required, or even permitted to follow him, as 
the apostles did ; yet they also were dear to him. They were dear to 
him, because they would not lightly speak evil of him. The world 
spoke evil of Christ, of his words, of his works, of his people. 
Those who did not speak evil of him, spoke well of him ; for there is 
no such thing as being neuter in the cause of Christ. 

What did Jesus mean by these words : " He that is not. against us, 
is on our part?" He meant, that there is no such thing as being 
neuter in religion. All men are on one side, or the other. There are 
many who wish to keep neuter. They are afraid of being on 
the side of Satan, but they have not resolved to be on the side of Jesus. 
The devil reckons these among his most trusty servants ; such cowardly 
spirits are less likely to escape from him than those who openly do his 
work. 

But the man who cast out devils in the name of Jesus was not one 
of those undecided characters. At a time when all the rich and great 
were joined together against the Son of God, he was not ashamed to 
acknowledge him. Such are the men respecting whom our Saviour 
declared, that those who give them a cup of cold water shall be 
blessed. How careful we ought to be never to discourage the least of 
God's servants ! They may not belong to our party, but they may 
belong to Christ. They do belong to Christ, if, instead of speak- 
ing lightly of him, they take delight in praising him before an ungodly 
world ; and especially, if by the power of his word, they release 
sinners from the bondage of Satan. We must wish thop-e to prosper, 
who convert sinners from the error of their ways, save souls from 
death, and hide a multitude of sins. 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Numbers XI. 16 to end. Moses will not forbid the prophets. 



MAY 28.1 THE NEVER-DYING WORM. 247 



Mark IX. 43 to end. — Christ warns his disciples against the un- 
quenchable fire, and never-dying worm. 

The Lord ended his private conversation with his own disciples in 
this awful manner. He knew that ambition was not cast out of their 
hearts. It was ambition that led them to dispute who should be the 
greatest, and that caused them to forbid the man who followed them 
not. They were full of self-importance, and of worldly desires. 
Though they did possess some living faith and some sincere love ; yet 
how weak was that faith, how cold was that love ! 

Their Master knew that if they continued to cherish a worldly and 
proud spirit, they could not obtain a place in his kingdom ; therefore 
he earnestly warned them to mortify the sinful desires of their hearts. 
He compared those desires to hands, feet, and eyes ; because it is as 
painful for a person to mortify a darling passion of the heart, as to cut 
off a precious limb from the body. 

Are there any desires in our hearts that must be subdued in order 
that we may escape eternal fire ? Though we may have tasted 
of God's grace, yet we may need these warnings. Do we desire to be 
much praised, and highly thought of? Do we desire to rise to a 
higher station than that we now fill 1 Do we impatiently desire 
to possess some earthly good which God has seen fit to withhold ? Are 
our affections engrossed by some creature, so that we are more anxious 
to please that creature than to please God ? Let us carefully examine 
our own hearts, and then implore God to give us strength to strive 
against these earthly passions. We need not (as Papists often do) 
reject the gifts of God, because we are prone to abuse them. We 
need not dress in sackcloth, live upon the coarsest fare, or withdraw 
from human society, in order to become humble. The evil lies not in 
the objects that surround us, but in our own hearts. The struggle 
against sin will be severe and painful, but the danger is so terrific that 
every effort should be made. An unquenchable fire, an undying 
worm, must be the eternal portion of those who continue wilfully to 
harbor sinful passions in their hearts. Had the disciples persisted in 
their sins, they would have perished. One of them did persist in sin ; 
he still indulged in the love of money, and he perished. He was the 
son of perdition. 

Our Saviour, in concluding his admonition, uttered these remark- 
able words : " Every one shall be salted with salt." What did these 
words mean ? The sacrifices, offered in the temple, were salted with 
salt. (Lev. ii. 13.) Thus the condemned in hell will be kept from 
being consumed, even as things are preserved from corruption by salt. 
God's wrath will be as salt, to render them capable of enduring 
eternal sufferings. But God's grace is also like salt, — it preserves 
the soul ; therefore Jesus said, " Have salt in yourselves." It was 
grace the apostles needed to keep them from destruction. 



248 THE LITTLE ONES. [MAY 29. 

Then our Saviour concluded with these words : " Have peace one 
with another." No longer dispute which shall be the greatest, but 
love and serve each other. If we have the salt of grace in our 
hearts, we shall have the fruit of peace in our lives. " Only by pride 
cometh contention." (Prov. xiii. 10.) Let us crucify at the cross of 
our dying Lord all those evil passions that disturb our peace now, and 
which would, if cherished, destroy our souls. 

Evening Scripture portion. James IV. Resistance of evil. 



Matt. XVIII. 10-14. — Christ declares how precious the little ones 
are in the Father's sight. 



"b 



These verses form part of a most interesting conversation that our 
Lord held with his own disciple in his house at Capernaum. Some 
passages in that conversation are calculated to alarm the stoutest 
heart ; but others are of the most soothing and endearing nature. 
How delightful it is to know that God regards with the tenderest love 
even the little ones of his family ! 

These little ones are true believers, however weak in faith, and im- 
perfect in knowledge. They have angels for their servants. " Their 
angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven." 
We understand what is meant by this verse, from the declaration of 
St. Paul concerning angels : " Are they not all ministering spirits, 
sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation ?" The 
angels are ministering spirits, or servants : they serve the heirs of 
salvation, — believers upon earth. They may be compared to the 
nurses of infant princes ; for they wait upon those who shall hereafter 
be greater than themselves. Believers shall, in some respects, rise 
above angels in the world of glory ; they shall stand nearer the 
throne, and sing that song which none can learn, but those who are 
redeemed from the earth, even the song of redeeming love. 

Do we believe that each saint has angels for his servants 1 Can we 
then despise any saint? An unconverted monarch may have lords 
and ladies to attend on him ; but a converted beggar has angels to 
wait on him. How much higher is his state! These angels shall 
shortly convey his soul into the assembly of the saints, and at the last 
day shall separate him from the wicked forever and ever. 

But there is a still higher light in which we may view the saints ; — 
as those whom Christ came to seek and to save. Each saint is the 
purchase of Christ's blood. As the shepherd with anxious care seeks 
for his wandering sheep ; so the Son of God, by his Spirit, has sought 
for each believer when wandering among the dark mountains of sin 



MAY 30.] TREATMENT OF AN OFFENDING BROTHER. 249 

and death, and has brought him into the fold of grace, and has bidden 
angels rejoice over him. If we ourselves are among the children of 
God, we have been the objects of all this care. There is none of us 
that has not gone astray ; the holy angels alone have never wandered. 
We never should have desired to return, had not God sent his Spirit 
into our hearts. We never should have been able to return, had he 
not borne us home in his own loving arms. Having taken all this care 
for us, will he suffer us to perish? No; it is not the will of our 
Father in heaven that his little ones should perish. 

But for what purpose did Jesus speak of his love to his little ones 
on this occasion ? To remind the disciples of the love they ought to 
bear to all the saints. The ambition still cherished in their hearts, led 
them to despise many other believers, especially those who followed 
not with them ; therefore their Master set forth in their hearing the 
tender love his Father bears to all true believers. Could they despise 
those whom the Father honored ? Whenever we see a believer, how- 
ever weak and mean, we should consider, " Here is one whom angels 
serve, whom Jesus came down from heaven to save, whom the Father 
will not suffer to perish, but whom He guards with his all-seeing eye." 

Evening Scripture portion. Gen. XXVIII. Jacob's dream. 



Matt. XVIII. 15-17. — Christ directs his disciples how to treat an 
offending brother. 

What a privilege we possess in having these directions how to be- 
have towards a fellow-Christian who has done us wrong ! But how 
seldom are any of these rules observed ! How much more apt we 
are, either to indulge in sullen spleen, or to break out, in angry invec- 
tives, than mildly to remonstrate with an offending brother ! We ought 
to go, in the first place, and tell him of his fault alone. That would 
be the most probable way to win him. Perhaps we might discover 
that we had suspected him unjustly ; or, if not, that he was ready to 
change his conduct, when he found that it displeased us. 

Directions like these are given in Lev. xix. 17, 18; " Thou shalt. 
not hate thy brother in thine heart ; thou shalt in anywise rebuke thy 
brother, and not suffer sin before him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor 
bear any grudge against the children of thy people." 

But if the offender should persist in his evil conduct, we are di- 
rected to take two or three persons with us; and if he should still 
persevere, to tell his fault to the Church, that is, to the public congre- 
gation of believers ; and then the persons we had taken with us would 
be witnesses of the truth of our report ; so that, through them, our 
words would be established. If the offender should refuse to obey the 

32 



250 PROMISES TO UNITED PRAYER. [may 31. 

church, then he must be cast out of the society of believers, and not 
permitted to partake of the Lord's Supper. 

We find, from the epistles, that the apostles and the early Christians 
pronounced this sentence of exclusion, when great offences were com- 
mitted by professed Christians. We read of a man in 1 Cor. v., with 
regard to whom St, Paul gives these directions : " In the name of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with 
the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one unto Sa- 
tan, for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in 
the day of the Lord Jesus." 

Some, on hearing these directions, may reply, " How can we follow 
these commands ?" But do we follow them as far as we can? When 
a professing Christian behaves ill to us, do we in the first place tell 
him his fault alone ? There are many called Christians who take de- 
light in exposing the faults of their brethren. Sometimes they will 
even tell them to the world. The Church weeps over iniquity, and 
prays for the sinner ; the world rejoices, and blasphemes the name of 
Christ. 

When we have used all the means in our power to reclaim an 
offending brother, and all the means have failed, then it is our duty 
to show by our conduct that we disapprove the course he is pursuing. 
Whether the offence is committed against ourselves, or against another, 
or against God alone, we must not encourage sin. It is better that 
.the world should know of the sin, than that they should think that 
Christians approve of it. The first missionaries in Tahiti acted on this 
principle. They refused to hold intercourse with one of their number, 
named Lewis, because he had married a heathen woman. The back- 
slider speedily came to an awful end : he was cut off suddenly by an 
unknown hand. 

When an offender repents of his sin, then we ought " to forgive him, 
and to comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up 
with overmuch sorrow." (2 Cor. ii. 7.) 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Thess. III. Brotherly admonition. 



Matt. XVIII. 19, 20. — Christ promises to hear the united prayers 

of his disciples. 

Do the Scriptures contain a more encouraging promise than this ? 
" Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I 
in the midst of them." 

There are some promises which are addressed to the apostles in 
particular. It was to them that Christ said, " Whatsoever ye shall 
bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven ; and whatsoever ye shall 



MAY 31.] PROMISES TO UNITED PRAYER. 25] 

loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven." That promise has been 
fulfilled ; the apostles' words have the same authority as those of Christ 
himself. Their writings form part of the Holy Scriptures. But did 
Christ speak to the apostles alone, when he said, " If two of you shall 
agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be 
done for them of my Father which is in heaven ?" This promise is 
ours as much as theirs : for it is added, " Where two or three are 
gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." It 
is not said where two or three of you are gathered together, but where 
two or three. It may be two or three apostles, or it may be two or 
three peasants, or two or three women, or two or three children ; yet, 
if they are gathered together in the name' of Christ, he will be in the 
midst of them to bless them, and answer them. Praying together 
greatly helps Christians to love each other. If those who live beneath 
one roof would meet together, not only in the regular family worship, 
but also by two or three, they would often find their mutual love in- 
crease, and they would live in greater harmony, and enjoy more happi- 
ness, and obtain richer blessings. 

There are some petitions which are especially suited .to be presented 
to God by several of his children in united prayer. If one has com- 
mitted a fault, then he may confess it to his brethren, and ask them to 
accompany him to the throne of grace to plead for mercy. St. James, 
in his epistle, says, " Confess your faults one to another, and pray one 
for another, that ye may be healed." It is when we wander from 
God, and most need his mercy, that we are the least able to implore 
it. Then how comforting it is to have a Christian brother to lead us 
back to God ! 

Sometimes a particular favor is desired by the members of one 
family. It may be the safe return of an absent brother, or the conver- 
sion of an unbelieving relation. Six youthful sisters have met together 
every morning to implore a blessing upon an aged parent. They have 
prayed that the light of truth might shine into his benighted soul. 

When God answers the prayers of several believers, his name is 
more glorified than when he answers the prayer of one alone ; for then 
there are several witnesses of his truth and faithfulness. 

Towards the end of the last century, six or seven pious ministers of 
the Church of England, (Mr. Romaine being one,) agreed to meet 
together at a certain hour to entreat God to raise up more faithful 
preachers of the gospel in their own church. They could not all meet 
in one place, for many of them were separated from each other by 
great distances, but they all met at one time at the throne of grace. 
Before their course was finished, they beheld the answer to their 
prayers. Instead of six or seven, there were six or seven hundred 
clergymen of the Church of England, of like spirit with themselves. 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Acts XII. The prayers of the Church for Peter. 



252 THE UNFORGIVING SERVANT. [JUNE 1. 



Matt. XVIII. 21 to end. — The parable of the unforgiving servant. 

How odious that servant appears, who after having received such 
exceeding benefits from his Lord, went out, and acted with such rigor 
towards his fellow-servant ! Yet that unfeeling servant affords but a 
faint picture of the unforgiving sinner. For what was the obligation 
that he had received, compared to that under which we lie to God ! 
His Lord had forgiven him a debt of ten thousand talents ; but we are 
not informed, that in order to do this, his Lord had made any painful 
sacrifice. But before our Lord could forgive us, He was constrained 
by his own holiness to find an atonement for our sins, and that atone- 
ment was the blood of his Son. Now if after having received this gift, 
we should go forth, and willingly retain any unkind feeling against 
those who have done us wrong, how great would be our guilt ! 

We should also remember how infinitely greater the debt is that we 
owe to God, than any debt our fellow-creatures can owe to us. In 
the parable the disproportion is immense ; two millions of pounds in 
the one case, and three pounds in the other ; (according to the calcu- 
lations of some ;) but there is a still greater disparity between our debt 
to God, and man's to us. 

Consider these two circumstances, which most aggravate offences. 
The repeating of them often, and after having received great benefits. 
Have not our offences against God these two aggravations in an emi- 
nent degree ? Who can have provoked us so often as we have pro- 
voked God ? from our birth until this moment, we have not ceased to 
sin against him in thought, word, and deed ; and yet he is still willing 
to be reconciled to us. Who can have received such benefits from us, 
as we have received from God ; — not only temporal blessings, but the 
offer of everlasting life, and the gift of his Son ! 

If we had a more just idea of the nature and extent of our transgres- 
sions against him, we should be ashamed of thinking of the sins of 
men against us. Indeed, perhaps, in our quarrels, we may be most in 
fault, and may really owe more than is owed to us ; or though w r e 
may have been ungratefully treated by one, we ourselves may have 
ungratefully treated some other person, so that on the whole nothing 
may be owing to us. How it would quiet the tumult of our passions, if, 
when disposed to think of the injuries we have received from our fel- 
lows, we were to turn our attention to the insults we have offered to God ! 

But perhaps we do not feel that God has forgive?! these insults. Per- 
haps we are still troubled by the dread of his anger for our past trans- 
gressions. Nothing would soften our hearts so much, as a sense of 
his forgiving love. Let us pray for this blessed assurance. Then we 
shall feel the force of the apostle's command, " Forbearing one another 
and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any : even 
as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." 

Evening Scripture portion. Col. III. Forgiveness of injuries. 



JUNE 2.] CHRIST SENDS OUT SEVExNTY DISCIPLES. 253 



Luke X. 1-16. — Christ sends out seventy disciples. 

This charge to the seventy disciples very much resembles the 
charge to the twelve apostles, that we read some time ago. As it was 
necessary that the twelve apostles should be generally with their Mas- 
ter, Jesus appointed seventy other persons to preach the gospel in va- 
rious parts of the land. 

He sent them to every place whither he himself would come. Still 
he sends his faithful servants before his face. When they appear, we 
may expect to see their Master coming soon afterwards in the power 
of the Spirit. But as seventy men were* too few to instruct all those 
who were perishing through ignorance, Jesus commanded them to 
pray that God would send forth laborers into his harvest. Is there not 
cause still to offer this prayer ? There is too small a number of min- 
isters and missionaries scattered over the world. When the Sabbath 
dawns, how few rejoice to see its beams ! 

Before the seventy went forth, Jesus informed them what to expect 
in their journeys. They were to expect sufferings, (v. 3,) "I send 
you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves." They were to expect 
their message to be sometimes rejected, (v. 10,) " Into whatsoever city 
ye enter, and they receive you not." Those men who resembled wolves, 
would ill-treat the lambs of Christ. They were to expect that God 
would incline some to receive .them, and to be kind to them. Were 
all to frown upon them, their spirits would be utterly cast down. But 
the Lord is too tender a Father to suffer his children to remain without 
any encouragement. At the needful moment a friendly voice cheers, 
and a friendly hand sustains. 

The Lord Jesus also instructed his disciples what to do in their 
jourfieys. They were to carry no provision nor clothes with them, but 
to trust to God's promise to provide for them, (v. 4,) " Carry neither 
purse, nor scrip, (that is, bag,) nor shoes." Missionaries who lived 
after Christ's ascension, thankfully received gifts from their converts 
before they set out to teach heathen nations. (See St. John's third 
epistle, 5, 6.) It is the duty of Christians to provide for the wants of 
missionaries ; but these seventy disciples were placed in peculiar cir- 
cumstances, and received peculiar aid. They were to use haste in 
delivering their message, and to lose no time in showing useless civil- 
ities. " Salute no man by the way." They were to pronounce bless- 
ings on every one who received them, saying, " Peace be unto thee." 
They were to accept the food offered to them ; but they were not to 
seek better fare by going from house to house. They were to confirm 
the truth of their message by healing the sick. They were to warn 
their enemies by shaking off the dust from their feet in departing from 
their city. 

The Lord concluded his instructions by denouncing woes upon the 
favored cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. The traveller 



254 THE BRETHREN OF CHRIST REPROACH HIM. [JUNE 3. 

can witness how the Lord's predictions have been fulfilled in the tem- 
poral destruction of those cities, for their very names have perished. 
Why did he speak to the seventy concerning the guilt of those cities ? 
To remind them how he himself, the Son of God, had been rejected by 
the cities in which he most frequently preached, and thus to prepare 
them for similar treatment. Our proud hearts are ready to rebel when 
we find that our instructions produce no effect upon the hearts of men. 
But can we repine at want of success, when we remember how our 
Lord seemed to toil in vain ? Yet, there were a few who received 
him ; the woman of Tyre, the weeping sinner, and the sorrowful father 
who cried, "Help my unbelief." How delightful to be permitted to 
strengthen one trembling believer, or to reclaim one wretched wan- 
derer ! 

And this we should remember for our comfort, that if we do not 
behold the fruit of our own labors, those who come after us will reap 
the benefit ; for the word of the Lord shall not return unto him void. 

Evening Scripture portion. 3 Epistle of John. Kindness to ministers. 



John VII. 1-13. — The brethren of Christ reproach him. 

Such was the conduct of sinners to the Lord of glory when he was 
upon earth. His brethren (that is, his relatives) refused to believe in 
him, and treated him with scorn. They ventured to dictate to him 
who possessed all wisdom, saying, "Depart hence, and go into Judea, 
that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest." And they 
insolently hinted, that if he were really a great prophet, he would not 
remain in retirement ; for they said, " There is no man doeth any 
thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly." How 
trying such conduct in relatives must have been ! We know that it is 
easier to bear unkindness from strangers, than from near and dear 
kindred. But if the Lord suffered in this manner, his people ought to 
be patient under the same trials. 

And how did the world feel towards Jesus ? How did the rich, 
the great, the learned esteem him ? They hated him ; they hated the 
express image of the Father ; they hated the brightness of his glory. 
And why did the)?- hate so lovely a being? Because he testified that, 
their works were evil. The wicked cannot bear to be reproved. The 
most amiable behavior cannot secure a faithful Christian from the 
world's hatred. But is it not an honor to share the reproach of the Son 
of God? 

And what did the people think of Jesus ? They were divided in 
their opinions. Some said, " He is a good man." What faint praise 
to bestow on him, who was goodness itself ! Was this all that they 



JUNE 4.] CHRIST DEFENDS HIMSELF. 255 

would say for him who was the fairest among ten thousand, and al- 
together lovely ? Yes, they were ashamed to say more than " He is 
a good man ;" while others dared to accuse him of deceiving the peo- 
ple. Thus have the servants of God been faintly praised, and falsely 
accused in all ages. How little worth must popular esteem be, when 
it is so often given to the worst of men, and withheld from the best ! 

How bright do the perfections of the Lord shine forth when viewed 
in contrast with the base qualities of human creatures ! The Son of 
God remained unmoved in the midst of ah the conflicting storms of 
human passions. His eyes were directed to his Father, whose will 
was his only guide, whose favor was his greatest joy. He met his 
brethren's insinuations by the calm and dignified reply, "My time is 
not yet come." He knew the times that the Father had appointed for 
all his actions. The time for him to go forth to meet his enemies, was 
not yet come. It came at last, and then he set his face as a flint, and 
boldly said, " I am he." But till that time arrived, he avoided danger. 
Jesus knew all things that were coming upon him. We, like Paul, 
must always confess that wherever we go, we know not the things that 
shall befall us there ; but, like him, we may also say, " We know that 
all things work together for good to them that love God." 

The Christian waits the Lord's time, while unknown, and ivelcomes it, 
when known. The holy martyr Bradford languished long in prison, 
not knowing the day appointed for his execution, but patiently waiting the 
Lord's time. When he knew it, how joyfully he welcomed it ! One 
afternoon the keepers wife suddenly came up to him, troubled, and 
almost breathless, saying, " Master Bradford, I come to bring } t ou 
heavy news." — "What is it?" said he. " To-morrow you must be 
burned, and your chain is now a buying." The martyr put off his cap, 
and lifting up his eyes to heaven, said, " I thank God for it. I have 
looked for the same a long time, and therefore it cometh not to me 
suddenly, but as a thing waited for every day and hour. The Lord 
make me worthy thereof." 

Evening Scripture portion. Jer. XI. Jeremiah's treacherous brethren 



John VII. 14-29. — Christ defends himself for healing on the Sabbatn 

day. 

In these verses we have a fresh instance of the insulting manner in 
which Jesus was treated upon earth. 

He was despised for his want of a learned education. " How 
knoweth this man letters ?" exclaimed the Jews scornfully, " having 
never learned !" Soon afterwards their insolence increased, and they 
cried, " Thou hast a devil." This treatment gave Jesus an opportunity 



256 CHRIST SPEAKS OF GOING AWAY. [JUNE 5. 

of displaying his meekness. Every circumstance that befalls us affords 
the opportunity of cultivating some grace. Disappointment affords the 
opportunity of exercising resignation ; enjoyment of showing gratitude ; 
when we are praised, then is the time for humility ; when we are in- 
sulted, then is the time for meekness ; every temptation to sin fur- 
nishes an occasion of manifesting faithfulness to God. 

Jesus showed not only great meekness, but also great wisdom, in his 
dealings with perverse sinners. He knew what accusation they had 
against him, namely, that on the Sabbath-day he had healed the impo- 
tent man who lay by the pool. With wonderful skill he unveiled their 
inconsistency in accusing him of breaking the Sabbath by performing 
a work of mercy ; for he said that even they themselves performed the 
ceremonies of Moses' law on the Sabbath-day. How easy it is for 
Jesus to show men the deceitfulness of their pretences ! At the last 
day those who profess to have the best motives for doing the ivorst 
things, will be confounded and speechless in the presence of their 
Judge. 

What ignorance those people betrayed who said that Jesus could 
not be the promised Christ, because they knew whence he was. They 
imagined they knew whence he was ; but they were mistaken ; they 
did not know he came from God. So Jesus answered them by a ques- 
tion ; for the words in verse 28 should be regarded as a question, 
" Do ye both know me and do ye know whence I am ?" By this he 
meant to say, " You think you know whence I am, but you do not 
know." 

Then Jesus added these words respecting his Father, " I know 
him !" How happy are they who can truly say of the Father, " I 
know him ;" for the world does not know him, and no man can know 
him, except Jesus reveal Himself to his soul. But the meek and 
lowly Saviour is willing to teach all those who desire to know 
his Father. He came into the world " to bring us to God." 

Do we desire to know God ? Is this our chief desire ? It may ap- 
pear that we can pass away our time, and enjoy ourselves without 
knowing God ; but what should we do at the last day if God should 
say, " I never knew you, O ye that work iniquity !" 

Evening Scripture portion. Job XXII. Acquaintance with God. 



John VIL 30-36. — Christ speaks of going where his enemies coidd 

not come. 

The discourse our Saviour publicly delivered in the temple, of- 
fended his enemies so much, that they sent men to take him. These 
men found him preaching. Jesus knew for what purpose they were 



JUNE 5.] CHRIST SPEAKS OF GOING AWAY. 257 

come, and he uttered an awful warning in their presence, telling them 
that he should be with them only a little while, and that then 
they should seek him, and should not find him, adding, " Where I 
am, thither ye cannot come." The Jews experienced the truth 
of these words when the city of Jerusalem was taken, and they 
looked in vain for the promised Messiah to deliver them, — but found 
no deliverer 

It will also be fulfilled in the experience of every unbeliever, unless 
he repent. A time will come to all the ungodly, who die impenitent, 
when they will seek Christ and not find him, and when they 
will desire in vain to reach the place where he is. Such a day came 
to the rich man, when he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and 
saw Lazarus afar off, and heard that there was a great gulf between 
them, which none could pass. How awful it will be to see Christ 
afar off, and to find the compassionate Saviour deaf to our entreaties ! 
Such a day is spoken of in Prov. I., " Then shall they call upon me, 
but I will not answer ; they shall seek me early, but they shall 
not find me, for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear 
of the Lord." 

But Christ's enemies did not even understand the warning He had 
given. They only expressed to each other their wonder. " Can he 
be going to teach the dispersed Jews who live in Gentile countries," 
or can he be going to teach the Gentiles themselves ? 

They thought it a thing impossible that Gentiles should be taught ; 
they imagined that they were unworthy of the least notice from God, 
and that they would be left to perish in heathen ignorance. But God 
thought not so ; his thoughts were not as their thoughts ; even then he 
had purposes of mercy towards our savage forefathers. He saw 
them wandering with painted skins among their forests of oak, and 
offering up their children to horrible idols. He saw them, He pitied, 
and He sent (if not an apostle) the convert of an apostle, to proclaim 
in their untutored ears his glorious gospel. Our fathers sought him, 
and they found him, and many of them are now with God. Where 
they are, and where Jesus is, we desire to come. 

Jesus has not yet said to us, " Where I am thither ye cannot 
come." Shall he ever say it? He never will, if it is our heart's 
warm desire to be where he is. Has he not said, " Where I am, 
there shall my servant be ?" 

This was the sweet verse that an aged minister often repeated in his 
dying hours : 

And when I'm to die, 

" Receive me," I'll cry ; 
For Jesus hath loved me, 

I cannot tell why ; 
But this I can find, 

We too are so join'd, 
He'll not be in glory 

And leave me behind. 

Evening Scripture portion. Rom. XV. The Gospel preached to the Gentiles. 

33 



258 CHRIST INVITES THE THIRSTY TO COME TO HIM. ^JUNE 6. 



John VII. 37-39. — Christ invites the thirsty to come to him. 

The Saviour delights more in promises than in threatenings. In 
the presence of his enemies he often uttered most sweet and en- 
couraging invitations. 

On the last day of the feast of tabernacles, (even on the eighth,) it 
was the custom to pour large quantities of water upon the ground, as 
a type of God's promise of pouring the Spirit upon man in the latter 
days. It seems probable that it was in the midst of this ceremony, 
that Jesus stood and cried, " If any man thirst, let him come unto me 
and drink." And what is the meaning of this invitation? Coming 
to Christ is believing in Christ ; " drinking" is receiving the Holy 
Spirit into the heart. 

Since Jesus uttered these gracious words, the Holy Spirit has been 
given in large measure ; for when he was glorified and seated at his 
Father's right hand, he sent down the Holy Spirit. Till He had pre- 
sented an atonement for sin, this great gift could not be bestowed upon 
guilty man. Those, indeed, who believed in Christ from the begin- 
ning, received a measure of the Spirit ; but not so abundant a measure 
as those who have believed in him since he was offered up. 

This is the substance of the preaching of every faithful minister, 
" If any man thirst, let him go to Jesus and drink." The whole 
world is suffering the torments of parching thirst. It is evident that 
they feel uneasy by their anxiety to obtain wealth, pleasure, and 
honors ; but they know not the only fountain that can quench their 
thirst. They little imagine that the Holy Spirit would make them 
more happy than all the enjoyments earth can afford. 

Not only would they be happy themselves, but they would obtain 
the power of making others happy. For out of them should flow 
rivers of living water to quench the thirst of their fellow-creatures. 
It is an inexpressible delight to make the wretched happy. None but 
true believers can do this. Kind-hearted, worldly people often try to 
make their friends and neighbors happy, but they never can succeed. 
The Christian has discovered the secret by which he can assuage 
human grief, and quiet the restless heart. None can conceive what 
will be the delight of God's faithful servants when they look around 
in the abodes of bliss, and behold those who once thirsted upon earth, 
but who now thirst no more, and when they remember that it 
was their privilege to persuade them first to taste of the fountain of 
living waters. But happiness will be as nothing compared to the joy 
of the Son of God. This joy'cheered his heart when he endured the 
cross. He knew that millions of souls would be made blessed for 
ever through his blood. It is a pleasure to remember having saved 
the life of a fellow-creature. Have you ever seen a young person's 
eyes sparkle with delight at the thought of having extinguished the 
flames that were raging around her companion ? Or have you heard 



JUNE 7.] THE ENEMIES OF CHRIST DISPUTE. 259 

an old man relate how in former days he snatched a poor child out of 
the water ? The satisfaction that they showed may remind us of the 
infinite joy the Lord of glory will feel when he looks around upon the 
souls that he has blessed forever. " He shall see of the travail of his 
soul, and shall be satisfied." (Is. liii. 11.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. XLIV. The promise of the Holy Spirit. 



John VII. 40 to end. — The enemies of Christ dispute concerning him. 

We here read of the effect of the discourse Jesus delivered in the 
presence of the officers that came to take him. Many people were 
there, and they expressed different opinions concerning him. Some 
thought he was the prophet, or the messenger that was to be sent be- 
fore Christ, to prepare his way. (Mai. iii. 1.) These people did not 
know that John the Baptist was that prophet. Others thought that 
Jesus was the Messiah. There was another party that made objec- 
tions to this belief. They imagined that Jesus had been born in Gali- 
lee, though he had only been brought up there ; and they did not know 
that he was of the family of David. They remembered that the Scrip- 
tures had prophesied that the Messiah should be bom in Bethlehem, 
of the family of David ; therefore they thought that Jesus could not be 
the true Messiah. But had they made diligent inquiries, they would 
have found that the reports concerning him were false, and that he had 
been born in Bethlehem, and was of the family of David. These peo- 
ple were much to blame for their negligence. How many persons 
are now in error, because they have not made diligent inquiries ! They 
believe the reports they hear against, the ministers of Christ ; — they 
believe the objections that infidels make against the' Bible, and they 
never examine into the truth of these reports and objections. They 
do not consider the importance of the subject, or they would not be 
able to rest till they had discovered the truth. 

We find that the officers returned to their masters without having 
taken Jesus. The reason they gave for their conduct was, " Never 
man spake like this man." They had been awed by the power of his 
words. When God pleases, he can make the words of his servants 
strike awe into their enemies, so that they dare not lift up their hands 
against them. Scoffers have sometimes entered into the assemblies 
of God's people with an intention to hurt them, and have been con- 
strained to give up their designs. A daring sinner once prepared a 
weapon with which he intended to murder a holy man who came to 
seek the lost among the haunts of vice. He heard him read Isaiah liv. 
Struck by the words, " No weapon that is formed against thee shall 
prosper," he renounced his purpose, and even confessed his guilt. 



260 CHRIST REFUSES TO CONDEMN. [JUNE 8. 

In the conclusion of the chapter, we find an instance of the power 
of divine grace. Nicodemus, who was once so timid as to go to Jesus 
by night for fear of the Jews, was grown so bold as to acknowledge 
him openly in the midst of the council. He was himself one of that 
council, called the Sanhedrim, composed of seventy chief persons 
among the Jews. There have always been some among the honora- 
ble of the earth who have done homage to the Lord of glory. Such 
persons are exposed to sharper trials than those in humbler stations, 
and they require a very large measure of grace to enable them to re- 
main firm amidst the derision of their equals in power and grandeur. ; 
But God is with them when they stand up in the midst of their ene- : 
mies, and he will defend his defamed servants. What would a Father 
feel who should overhear one of his children pleading his cause with 
rebellious brothers ! Does not our God listen with delight to all who 
take his part when men rise up against him ? 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Jeremiah XXVI. Jeremiah's apprehension and acquittal. 



John VIII. 1-11. — Christ refuses to condemn a sinful woman. 

How much wisdom the Lord Jesus showed in the manner in which 
he withstood the artful designs of the Jews ! The Pharisees had in 
vain endeavored to seize him by force, — and now they sought to en- 
trap him by fraud. Nicodemus, in the council, had inquired, " Doth 
our law judge any man before it hear him, and know what he doeth ?" 
The Pharisees seem to have taken these words as a hint to find some 
accusation against the Lord. They thought that by bringing this 
woman before him they placed him in a difficulty from which he could 
not escape ; because, if he condemned her, they might accuse him to 
the Romans of interfering in the government, and if he acquitted her, 
they might say he contradicted the law of Moses, by which she was 
sentenced to die. 

But how completely all their expectations were confounded ! They 
desired to hear the Lord pass sentence against the woman, but they 
were compelled to hear him pass sentence on themselves. For when 
he replied, " He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a 
stone ;" the conscience of each accuser was troubled, and one by one 
the whole band of enemies retreated ashamed from his presence ! 

Conscience may slumber long, but it often suddenly awakes. God 
can arouse it when he pleases. Sometimes in this life, it stings a sin- 
ner and forces him to confess his iniquities. But its power will be 
better known at the day of judgment, when all the wicked will be 
made to feel the justice of their own condemnation. 



JUNE 9.] CHRIST THE FATHER'S WITNESS. 261 

While the guilty Jews were escaping from the temple, the Lord was 
stooping down to write upon the ground. It appears that he had not 
looked up to observe their confusion. But after they were gone, he 
lifted himself up to speak to the sinfu] woman. There she was stand- 
ing in the midst ! How awful was her situation at that moment ! She 
was in the presence of one who might have condemned her to ever- 
lasting destruction. Instead of condemning, he began to converse 
with her, "Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man 
condemned thee ?" Her answer was full of reverence and awe. " No 
man, Lord." With what feelings must she have awaited the Lord's 
next words ! They were full of mercy, and also of holiness : " Nei- 
ther do I condemn thee ; go, and sin no more." 

Jesus did not come into the world to act as an earthly judge ; but 
hereafter he will condemn the wicked, as well as save the righteous. 
This woman will stand before him at the day of judgment ; she will 
then hear either that she is pardoned or condemned. We know nothing 
of her history after this interview. Was her heart drawn to the Lord 
by his merciful treatment, or did she go from his presence to plunge 
into new crimes ? It is an awful thing to abuse mercy. Can we re- 
member any period in our lives when we seemed to be on the point 
of receiving the punishment due to our sins, and when the Lord, in- 
stead of dealing with us as we deserved, spared us ? Ought not such 
forbearance to win our love ? There was a dying girl who first learned 
to love the Saviour from reading the account of his treatment of this 
sinful woman. Though she had never committed open transgressions, 
she knew she was a sinner, and needed pardon. When she read this 
history, she felt that Jesus was infinitely gracious, and she believed 
that he would not cast her out. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ez. XVIII. 19 to end. " Why will ye die?" 



John "VIII. 12-20. — Christ declares that the Father is his witness 

We behold our blessed Saviour again surrounded by those enemies 
who had so lately retreated ashamed from his presence. The officers 
had refused to take him, after hearing him invite the thirsty to come 
and drink. But the Pharisees persisted in their wicked designs, 
though they heard him say, "I am the light of the world : he that fol- 
loweth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." 
Instead of following the light, they accused him of speaking false- 
hood, and insolently said, "Thou bearest record of thyself: thy 
record is not true." They referred to words Jesus had once uttered, 
"If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true," (John v. 31,) 



262 CHRIST THE FATHER'S WITNESS. [JUNE 9. 

but by this he meant, " If I only bear witness of myself, and have no 
other witness, then my record is not true." But He had another wit- 
ness, even the Father, who had declared by a voice from heaven that 
Jesus was his beloved Son, and who had enabled him to do astonish- 
ing miracles. 

The Pharisees scornfully inquired, " Where is thy Father ?" How 
different from the request which an apostle afterwards made, " Show 
us the Father, and it sufficeth us !" These unbelieving Jews did not 
desire to know the Father ; yet they thought they knew him already. 
Jesus told them plainly, " Ye neither know me, nor my Father." 
Would He say this to any of us, if He were now to speak to us ? No 
reasonable creature can be happy, who does not know his Creator. 

If we were not sinful creatures, the first desire of our hearts would 
be to know God. A child desires to see his parent. If a mother 
were to tell her little son that his father, who had long been absent in 
a distant country, would soon return, would not the child be glad ? 
But if the child were wilful and wayward, and had heard that his 
father would restrain him from fulfilling his sinful inclinations, in that 
case he would not desire to see him return. Men have heard that God 
hates evil, and therefore they do not desire to know Him. 

If they were not sinful, they would learn to know him from the 
works of creation. It is written, " That which may be known of God 
is manifest in them, for God hath showed it unto them." (Rom. i. 19.) 
How hath he showed it unto them ? " By the things that are made." 
By the earth, and sea, the sun, moon, and stars ; by the animals — 
from the enormous whale that agitates the ocean, down to the tiny in- 
sect that floats in the breeze. But men did not gain the knowledge of 
God by the works of creation. " They glorified him not as God." 

The works of Providence are even greater than those of creation. 
It is of those works that David speaks in the Psalms, when he says, 
" How r great are thy works !" (Ps. xcii. 5.) If men were not sinful, 
they would learn to know God from the works of Providence. St. 
Paul said to the Athenians, God " hath made of one blood all nations 
of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined 
the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation ; that 
they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find 
him." (Acts xvii. 26, 27.) But did men feel after him? No: they 
wandered farther and farther from him. 

But in the fulness of time God sent forth his Son. 

And why did He send Him ? That He might teach us to know 
God. And all who believe in Jesus Christ know the Father. They 
know Him to be the God of holiness, and yet of mercy ; so holy, that 
he will not clear the guilty ; and yet so merciful, that he will pardon 
the vilest sinner who trusts in the blood of his Son. But they never 
could have known Him, if Jesus had not come in the likeness of 
sinful flesh, and died upon the cross for their sins. 

Do we know God ? Do we desire to know him ? How awful il 



JUNE 10.] CHRIST WARNS HIS ENEMIES. 263 

would be to hear the Lord Jesus at the judgment-day declaie, "If ye 
had known me, ye should have known my Father also." No one w r ill 
be able to reply, " I desired to know God, but could not find him." 
O no, all who seek to know Him, shall find Him. 

Evening Scripture portion. Rom. I. 1-23. The knowledge of God. 



John VIII. 21-27. — Christ warns his enemies against dying in their 

sins. 

The Lord Jesus plainly told his disciples in their retired conversa- 
tions, that he should be crucified ; but he did not speak so plainly to 
his enemies: he only gave them hints concerning his approaching 
death. When he said, "I go my way," they understood him not. At 
last they formed a conjecture concerning his meaning, and said, "Will 
he kill himself?" They did not venture to put the question to the 
Lord himself, but consulted with each other on the subject. He knew 
their thoughts, and by his reply showed that he had alluded to his 
death. He would not indeed kill himself. Those who with wicked 
tongues now insulted him, with wicked hands would slay him. He 
would die upon the cross, but far worse would be the manner of their 
death : they would die, — perhaps, in a bed, surrounded by weeping 
friends, but — in their sins. 

When the Lord said to his enemies, " Ye are from beneath," he did 
not mean to say that they had ever lived with Satan in hell ; but he 
meant that they partook of the nature of Satan, and were like him in 
pride, and hatred, and unbelief. All the inhabitants of this world are 
divided into two classes : of one it. may be said, they are from be- 
neath ; of the other it may be declared, they are from above, having 
been born again by the Holy Spirit. An old writer observes, that 
though the children of different families are mingled in the day, when 
night comes on they return home to their fathers' houses. When the 
night of death comes, the children of Satan will go to their father's 
dark and horrible abode, and the children of God will go to their 
Father's light and glorious abode. And whither shall we go ? Re- 
member the words of Jesus, "If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall 
die in your sins." 

There is only one way of becoming the child of God : it is by be- 
lieving in Jesus. The Jews scornfully inquired, " Who art thou V 
Let us humbly ask the same question. Let us say as Saul did when 
Jesus spoke to him from heaven, " Who art thou, Lord ?" He will 
reveal himself to all who desire to know him. He left his Father's 
house to seek us who were wandering about this world. He desires 
to bring us to his home. There is room for us, as well as for Him, in 



264 HE INSTRUCTS THE NEW BELIEVERS. [JUNE 11. 

the palace of the great King. He said to his beloved apostles, " In 
my Father's house are many mansions." When night comes on it will 
be delightful to go to such a home. But what would it be to feel in 
dying that we were not going to God ! A woman who had lived a 
careless life, expressed no fears on her dying bed, till — the last day 
and night of her life arrived. Then she was heard to cry out repeat- 
edly, " I am going, I am going — but not to God." 

Evening Scripture portion. Rev. XIV. Judgment and salvation. 



John VIII. 28-42. — He instructs the new believers. 

We have followed the Saviour through scenes of contempt and in- 
sult ; but at length we hear, that while he rebuked his enemies, many 
believed on him. The Lord did not overlook these new believers. 
As the mother bestows unceasing care, and peculiar tenderness on her 
infant, especially when so weakly that its life seems doubtful ; so the 
Saviour turned towards those who had just embraced the truth, and 
addressed to them words of counsel and encouragement. Are there 
any of us who need such instruction? Let us consider the counsels 
of the all-wise Saviour to his weak followers. 

" If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed ; and 
ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Contin- 
uance is the difficulty. To believe for a little while will not save the 
soul. There are many stony-ground hearers, who receive the word 
with joy. There are many thorny-ground hearers, who bring forth 
fruit, but not to perfection. These do not continue in the word. 

What blessings are promised to those who, in spite of enemies, and 
temptations, and afflictions, continue in the word ! Christ said to 
them, " The truth shall make you free." Are we not free by nature ? 
Men think they are free — that they can do what they will, and be 
what they please. But they are deceived. The Jews misunderstood 
the nature of the freedom of which Jesus spoke : they thought that he 
spoke of national freedom. But they did not even possess that free- 
dom ; for though they said, " We were never in bondage to any man," 
the assertion was not true : at that very time they were in bondage to 
the Romans, and paid taxes to the Roman emperor. 

But it was not of national freedom that Jesus spoke ; he meant the 
freedom of the spirit. All sinners are slaves. " Whosoever commit- 
teth sin is the servant (or slave) of sin." Satan has power over the 
spirits of sinners. He stirs up the evil passions of their hearts, and 
urges them to commit sinful actions. God restrains him in the exercise 
of his power ; but He. has not yet deprived him of it. How then can 
sinners be made free ? By believing in the Son of God. Then their 



JUNE 12.] CHRIST ACCUSES HIS ENEMIES, 265 

chains fall off, their cruel master flees, and their gracious deliverer 
adopts them into his family. 

A little parable seems to be contained in our Lord's discourse. In 
one large house there dwell together a numerous family. God 13 the 
master of this house, and knows the character of each member. This 
house contains all those who profess to believe in Christ. But some 
of its inmates are really the slaves of Satan, while some are the chil- 
dren of God. Shall Satan's slaves always remain in the house? No ; 
they shall be cast out. But the children of God shall never quit their 
father's roof. " The servant abideth not in the house forever ; but 
the son abideth ever." And when the servants of Satan are cast out, 
then the children of God shall ascend to the upper room, where their 
Father unveils his glorious countenance, and invites his elder sons and 
daughters to partake of the heavenly feast. 

Evening Scripture portion. Rom. VI. The slavery of sin. 



John VIII. 43-50. — Christ accuses his enemies of being the children 

of Satan. 

It may well excite dismay in the bosom of a human creature to 
hear these words; "Ye are of your father the devil." A faithful 
minister once preached from these words in a village church, to a 
numerous congregation of very poor people. Great was the conster- 
nation with which some of them heard, for the first time, that 
those who lived in sin were the children of the devil. Poor neighbors 
met one another, and lamented with tears over the awful truth. Nor 
did they lament or weep in vain ; for some who were then the children 
of wrath, became by faith the children of God. One of these 
blessed converts, in extreme old age, would often lift up her withered 
hands, and thank God for having shown her the danger she was in. 

And what are the marks by which the children of Satan may be 
known ? The marks are the features of their father. He was a 
murderer and a liar from the beginning, — even from that awful and 
mysterious hour when he departed from the truth ; for he was 
created in the truth God, who created all things, can create nothing 
evil ; therefore Satan and all the wicked angels were originally good. 
How evil sprang up in them, no human creature knows ; it is a deep 
mystery, not revealed to us. It is sufficient for us to know that 
Satan was good — that he became evil, and will continue so forever. 
After his fall, he was a murderer, and sought to murder the souls of 
Adam and Eve, by tempting them to sin, and to murder in them the 
whole human race — for in Adam all die. So dreadful a crime was 

34 



266 CHRIST SPEAKS OF ABRAHAM. [JUNE 13 

never again perpetrated upon earth, till — Satan's own children, at the 
instigation of their father, murdered the Son of God, who came down 
from heaven to save sinners. 

Satan is not a murderer only ; he is also a liar. He commits his 
murders by means of lies : he used a lie to murder Eve, when 
he said, " Thou shalt not surely die." And still he murders by lies ; 
for he tempts men by deceiving them. He persuades them that sin 
will make them happy, and that it is not dangerous. Above all, 
he speaks lies of God. He endeavored to set Adam and Eve against 
their best Friend, by slanders ; for he said that God had forbidden 
them to eat of the fruit of the tree, because He feared they should be- 
come wise. 

Satan still speaks lies of God, representing him as a God whose 
service is bondage, whose promises are unfaithful, and whose 
threatenings are uncertain. Thus men are induced to keep at a 
distance from God. As long as men believe Satan's lies, they cannot 
hear God's words, or understand the Bible. But Jesus came to unde- 
ceive us, and to defend his Father's character. Why will not men be- 
lieve his report? Shall we still be deceived by the lies of Satan, 
when Jesus tells us the truth ! Satan has deceived all who have 
trusted in him ; the Son of God has never deceived one. Who ever 
heard of a dying believer exclaiming, " I have been deceived : I 
trusted in the Saviour, and I have found his promises vain ?" No true 
believer, however afflicted, has spoken thus. All dying Christians 
have said by their looks, and many by their words, " He is a faithful 
God." 

Evening Scripture portion. Jude. The fall of Satan. 



John VIII. 51 to end. — Christ speaks of Abraham. 

One of the most precious promises ever made, was received with 
the most insulting contempt. The Lord declared, " If a man keep 
my saying, he shall never see death." The Jews replied, " Now we 
know thou hast a devil." If they had not been themselves the 
children of Satan, they would not have uttered such language. They 
did not choose to understand the meaning of the promise. They said, 
" The prophets are dead." But to what did our Lord refer when he 
said, " If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death ?" He did 
not speak of the separation of soul and body. That is not death to 
the righteous, for the soul rests with God, while the body sleeps in 
the grave. He spoke of another death, called the second death. It 
is the separation of soul and body from God forever and ever. That 



JUNE 13.] CHRIST SPEAKS O ABRAHAM. 267 

is death. None shall taste it who keep Christ's saying. What say- 
ing ? His saying concerning himself, that He is the Son of God and 
the Saviour of men. For on another occasion he declared, " God so 
loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever 
believeth in him should not perish, but should have everlasting 
Kfe." 

When the Jews insolently inquired, "Whom makest thou thyself?" 
the Lord did not choose to tell them plainly who He was ; but he 
told them who they were not. They professed to be the children of 
God. But Jesus told them that because they said " He is our God," 
they were " liars" How awful is the situation of that man who can- 
not say, " My God," without uttering a falsehood ! We pity the 
child who cannot say to any living person, " My father," or "My 
mother ;" but how much more ought we to pity the soul who cannot 
look up to heaven and say, " My God !" 

W T hat a testimony Jesus bore to his faithful servant Abraham \ He 
said, " Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it 
and was glad." The great joy of Abraham's life was not his beloved 
Isaac, but his more beloved Saviour. It was that promised Son who 
was the chief object of his faith. When God said, " In thy seed 
shall all the families of the earth be blessed," then he looked forward 
to the coming of the Saviour of the world. Then " he believed God, 
and it was accounted unto him for righteousness." Even Abraham 
was saved, not by his own righteousness, but by the righteousness of 
another. Like us, he was by nature a child of wrath, and it was by 
grace he became the friend of God, and the father of believers. 

The Jews continued to distort the words of Jesus. Because he 
said, that Abraham had seen his day, they said, " Hast thou seen 
Abraham ?" who had lived two thousand years before. And what 
was the Saviour's reply ? He did not say, " I have seen Abraham ;" 
he said much more than that. He did not say, " Before Abraham I 
ivas." He said more than that. " Before Abraham I am." The ex- 
pression " I am," gives the idea of an existence that had no beginning, 
and will have no end. Such is God — the first and the last. No 
human understanding can grasp the idea of existence without begin- 
ning and without ending. But let us rejoice in the thought that before 
we were God existed. He ever lived. No plans could be formed 
against us, before He had arranged every thing concerning us ! 
" Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world." 
(Acts xv. 18.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Gal. III. The faith of Abraham. 



268 THE RETURN OF THE SEVENTY DISCIPLES. [jUNE 14, 



Luke X. 17-20. — The return of the seventy disciples. 

In the first verse of this chapter it is recorded that the Lord sent out 
seventy disciples to preach. Now we hear of their return. 

While they had been visiting the towns and villages, their Lord had 
been engaged in teaching at Jerusalem. We have heard to what trials 
he was exposed in that wicked city from the scoffs of his enemies. How 
great must have been the relief to his sorrowful spirit, when he found 
himself again in the midst of his attached followers ! The messengers 
returned with joy. They rejoiced because the devils had been subject 
unto them through Christ's name. The Saviour seems to have par- 
taken of their joy when he uttered these mysterious words : " I beheld 
Satan like lightning fall from heaven." Could any sight be more 
suited to occasion joy to Satan's great enemy and conqueror ? When 
a cruel tyrant is slain, the captives in his dungeons are set free. An 
interesting account has been written of the destruction of the Inquisi- 
tion at Madrid in 1809. The wicked men who ruled over that dread- 
ful prison were slaughtered by the French soldiers. At the same time 
the dungeons were visited, and were found full of miserable captives. 
Those who had been for many years pining under the fear of death, 
were suddenly restored to the light of day, and to all the enjoyments 
of life. Great was the joy felt by the soldiers who wrought this great 
deliverance ! 

But who can conceive the joy that our Saviour felt when he looked 
forward to the consequences of Satan's downfall ! Already the people 
of God are delivered from his power. The day shall come when the 
old serpent will deceive the nations no more. At the end of the world 
he will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, and " shall be tor- 
mented day and night forever." (Rev. xx. 10.) This deliverance 
Jesus obtained for us by his own death. 

Christ gave his disciples power to tread on serpents and scorpions, 
and over all the power of the enemy. Did He mean literal serpents 
or spiritual serpents? Did He not mean both? The disciples were 
shielded from the attacks of all venomous creatures. In our Lord's 
parting charge he said to them : " These signs shall follow them that 
believe : they shall take up serpents." (Mark xvi. J 8.) In the same 
charge he said also, " In my name they shall cast out devils." Christ 
must have alluded to Satan and his angels when he spoke of " all the 
power of the enemy." 

Well might the disciples rejoice in the wonderful gifts they pos- 
sessed. Yet they had a greater cause for joy. Their names were 
written in heaven. The Lamb has a book of life, in which he has 
written the names of all who shall never taste the second death. It 
contains not only the names of the apostles, but of all who love Jesus. 
As a father writes down in his great Family Bible the names of all his 
children, so God writes down in the book of his remembrance the 



JUNE 15. J THE SAVIOUR'S JOY. 269 

names of all His children. A father may some day have to read, with 
a sigh and with a tear, the list of his family ; but Jesus shall never 
lose one of the members of His family ; they shall live forever who 
are written in the book of life. Is it our chief desire to have our 
names written there ? If this be our supreme desire, we must be 
saved. Those who perish, perish because they will not come and ask 
for life. 

O that this awful sentence might awaken those who are now uncon- 
cerned about their precious souls ! " Whosoever was not found writ- 
tf 1 in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire." (Rev. xx. 15.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Rev. XX. The book of life. 



Luke X. 21-24. — The Saviour's joy. 

A man's character is shown by the causes of his grief and of his 
■ oy ! We might learn to know ourselves better than we do, if each 
would inquire, " What are the things that please, and grieve me most ?" 
We shall find that we are by nature selfish, — that we are too much 
concerned about the events that befall ourselves, and too little about 
those that befall our fellow-creatures. Above all, we are naturally in- 
different to the glory of God. None, except those who are converted, 
care in the least degree whether God is honored or despised. 

The object that lay nearest the Saviour's heart was the glory of his 
Father. He rejoiced in spirit, because his Father had revealed to 
babes the things concerning Himself, for by this means the glory of 
God is increased. If the wise and learned alone were saved, it would 
seem as if they had saved themselves by their own wisdom and learn- 
ing; but when it is babes chiefly who are. saved, then it is clear that 
God saved them by His great power. Those are compared to babes 
whom the world esteems foolish and ignorant. Most of the disciples 
were chosen from among such people. The world called Peter and 
John unlearned. (Acts iv. 13.) The apostle Paul was not unlearned ; 
but he did not trust to his own wisdom, but came like a babe to learn 
of Jesus. None can explain the manner in which God teaches the 
soul. We do know the subject of his teaching — it is Himself. We 
are by nature unacquainted with God. To know Him is the great 
object of life. To die without knowing Him is to perish. The Sa- 
viour, in his prayer just before he was crucified, said to his Father, 
" This is eternal life, to know thee, the only true God, and Jesus 
Christ whom thou hast sent." 

No man comes to Jesus till he has heard and learned of the Father. 
Then he goes as a penitent sinner to the Saviour. How does Jesus 
receive him ? He has declared, " Him that cometh unto me I will in 



270 THE GOOD SAMARITAN. [JUNE 16. 

nowise cast out." He teaches the sinner to know the Father ; He 
shows him the Father's love in sending his Son to be the Saviour of 
the world ; he shows it to the heart, as well as to the understanding. 
It is with the heart we know our friends ; it is with the heart we must 
know God. How different is the feeling that we have when we have 
become intimate with a person, from that which we experience when 
we have only heard him described, and have not known him ourselves ! 

We may hear a great deal about God, but till we listen to his voice 
speaking to our hearts we cannot know Him. It is sweet to hear him 
say, " Seek ye my face," but sweeter still to hear him declare, " Thou 
art mine." Then the heart, moved by the Spirit, answers as David 
did, " Lord, thy face will I seek," and " Thou art my God." 

Jesus has observed every desire that has ever entered into the heart 
of his creatures, and he remembers those of his servants of old. The 
ancient prophets desired to know him ; there were even kings who 
esteemed the knowledge of God far above their earthly treasures. 
Such were the feelings of the great Melchisedec, and of the victorious 
David. But while they were on earth they never knew as much 
of God as the apostles did while they lived ; nor did they ever hear as 
much as we have heard. Is it our desire to know Him better than 
we do ? He observes the desires of our hearts : and he would be 
pleased to see in us the same feeling that Moses had, when he said, 
" I beseech thee, show me thy glory." 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Samuel XXIII. 1-23. David's chief desire. 



Luke X. 25-37. — The good Samaritan. 

This lawyer, who came to Jesus, was a man whose office it was to 
study the law of God, and to explain it to others. It was therefore to 
be supposed that he understood it well himself. And he did under- 
stand the letter of it, but not the spirit. He knew the words of the 
law, but he was ignorant of their spiritual application. 

He came with the wicked intention of insnaring Jesus, by asking 
him questions that should lead him to give some answer contrary to 
what Moses had written. But how completely was he foiled in his 
design ! Instead of answering his question, " What shall I do to in- 
herit eternal life ?" the Lord asked him another question, " How 
readest thou ?" thus showing that he approved what was written by 
Moses. 

The lawyer gave a correct answer. He said that the duty of man 
consisted in the love of God and the love of his neighbor. But what 



JUNE 16.] THE GOOD SAMARITAN. 271 

is this love ? It far surpasses man's ideas. Let the angels tell us 
from their high abodes in glory, what it is to love God. It is to de- 
light in him perpetually, to show forth his praise, and to do his will 
without weariness and without fault. What is the love of the neigh- 
bor ? Jesus explained it in the beautiful history of the good Samari- 
tan. On whom had the Samaritan mercy ? On a Jew — a man of a 
nation whom he had been brought up to detest. Neither did he act 
from a sense of duty alone ; he had compassion on the poor traveller : 
he paid him immediate attention : he treated him with tenderness, 
binding up his wounds : he expended his property upon him, " pour- 
ing in oil and wine :" he incurred fatigue, and perhaps loss of rest, for 
he took care of him at night. He made provision for his future com- 
fort, by leaving twopence (or two days 1 wages of a laborer) with the 
innkeeper, and promised to pay whatever greater sum might be spent, 
putting no limits on the amount, though he could not know how long 
the sufferer might languish. And all this he did for a stranger ! 
What must that man be to his friend and his brother, who treats a 
stranger with, such generous kindness ! 

But if we are inclined to think the Samaritan overstepped his duty, 
let us remember the words of Jesus, " Go thou and do likewise." 
And when we have done it, we shall still be unprofitable servants, and 
have only done what it was our duty to do. Remember, remember 
what He did for us, who gives the command. The Samaritan showed 
mercy to a stranger, but he showed mercy to his enemies. And what 
mercy ! He bore the wrath and curse of God to save us from de- 
struction. None of us could bear what he did. But if we have the 
Spirit of Christ dwelling in us, we shall walk in his steps. 

There are at this moment in South Africa, two Moravian mission- 
aries, who have gone to spend their days in a hospital for lepers — 
among pitiable objects, whose hands and feet are falling off. No one 
who ever enters that hospital is permitted to leave it. The mission- 
aries saw the door close upon them, and felt content to be banished 
from human society for the sake of the poor sufferers' within. 

Let us not be satisfied with admiring the devoted conduct of these 
men ; but let us seek for objects on whom to show mercy. Do we 
know of none to whom we can be kind ? Is there no fatherless child 
who needs our help? No widow, no stranger, no sufferer, whom we 
could comfort ? Perhaps to-day we may meet with one that we never 
heard of before. May God put into our hearts the love that dwells in 
his own, that we may act kindly to every afflicted person we see this 
day. 

Evening Scripture portion. Exodus XXIII. Kindness to the stranger. 



272 MARTHA AND MARY. [JUNE 17. 



Luke X. 28 to end. — Martha and Mary. 

When a monarch enters into the house of one of his subjects, his 
looks are observed in order to discover what objects pleased him, his 
words are treasured up, his minutest actions are noticed and remem- 
bered. If the Son of God were to enter into the family of a true be- 
liever, with what anxiety would his looks, his words, his actions, be 
watched ! Every sincere disciple would seek with trembling eager- 
ness to ascertain whether the Lord approved his conduct. 

And did not those who loved Jesus when he was on earth, expe- 
rience these feelings ? When they saw him approach their dwellings, 
they must have longed to obtain his company, and when he was seated 
beneath their roofs, they must have used their utmost endeavors to 
do him honor. The Lord's visits were, no doubt, hailed with de- 
light by the beloved family of Bethany. Both Martha and Mary de- 
sired to please their heavenly guest, but they acted in a very different 
manner. Martha was so little acquainted with his mind, that she 
endeavored to provide a sumptuous entertainment ; while Mary sat 
at his feet and heard his word. In the east it is the custom to sit 
upon the ground or on low couches ; therefore there was nothing 
unusual in Mary's posture. While one sister was listening with 
devout attention to the words of Jesus, the other was offended be- 
cause she was left alone to prepare the feast. So confident did 
she feel of the acceptableness of her services, that she believed the 
Lord would reprove her sister for not helping her. She said to the 
Lord, "Dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone V 
If she had been of a more loving spirit, she would have gladly served 
alone, that her sister at least might enjoy the Saviour's instructions 

How many Christians fall into Martha's error ! They imagine that 
much pomp and parade and splendor in religious worship are honor- 
able to God, and they expend strength, and time, and money, in pro- 
moting these objects, while they lose many precious opportunities of 
growing in the knowledge of Christ : and, not content with acting in 
this manner themselves, they often blame those who devote their chief 
attention to the word of God. 

How beautiful an example does Mary afford to those who are un- 
justly accused by their fellow-Christians ! She remained silent, and 
left it to her Lord to answer for her. Perhaps Martha was surprised 
at receiving reproof instead of commendation. The sister she blamed 
was praised, and the conduct she thought so admirable was censured. 
The Lord will pronounce many sentences at the last day that will 
surprise even his sincere followers. Though Martha was careful, and 
troubled about many things, we know that she was a real believer, but 
she had not so enlightened a mind or so devoted a heart as her meek 
and lowly sister. 



JUNE 18.] CHRIST ENCOURAGES HIS DISCIPLES. 273 

Mary cared as much as Martha for the comfort and honor of her 
Lord. On another occasion she showed her love by expending her 
choicest treasures upon his precious body, for she poured the oint- 
ment on his head just before his death and burial. But she knew that 
the day-spring from on high had visited us, "to give light to them that 
sit in darkness and in the shadow of death," and she opened her heart 
to receive those living beams. 

Do we desire to enjoy the light of life ? Let us get alone with 
Jesus, and speak to him in prayer, and hear what he will say to us in 
his word. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. CXIX. 97 to 182. Love to God's law. 



Luke XI. 1-13. — Christ encourages his disciples to pray. 

How blessed must have been those seasons in which the Saviour 
engaged in prayer with his beloved disciples ! Once we find him pray- 
ing with them on the mount of transfiguration ; — at another time in 
the garden of Gethsemane. On this occasion the name of the place 
is not recorded. Surely that was hallowed ground, where the Son of 
God offered up on the spotless altar of his heart the pure incense of 
prayer and praise. 

After hearing his prayers, the disciples felt conscious of their own 
inability to pray. They were, like us, compassed with infirmities, and 
knew not what to pray for as they ought. In the spirit of little chil- 
dren they said to their Master, " Teach us to pray." This petition 
was pleasing to their Lord : it was immediately granted. The prayer 
he now taught them he had uttered in their presence when he delivered 
his sermon on the mount; but the disciples needed repeated' instruc- 
tions. It is a prayer for all that can make a human soul happy ; nay 
more — it is a prayer for all that can make the universe happy. 

The first three petitions may be called prayers for God, as it is 
written in the Psalms : " Prayer also shall be made for Him con- 
tinually." (Psalm lxxii. 15.) The happiness of the universe depends 
upon God being established upon his throne. All creation would be 
filled with joy, if the name of the great and holy God were hallowed ; 
if his kingdom were come ; if his will were done ; as it is written : 
" Let the floods clap their hands ; let the hills be jcyful together be- 
fore the Lord, for He cometh to judge the earth." Were any other 
being raised to this exalted state, he would neither be happy himself, 
nor would he make his fellow-creatures happy. No Being but God is 
fit to be adored, to reign over all worlds, and to do what He will. 
Satan once aspired to sit in the seat of God, — and what was the con- 

35 



274 CHRIST EXPOSES HYPOCRISY. [JUNE 19. 

sequence ? He became eternally wretched, and he plunged a host of 
his angelic companions in the same misery. 

There are some petitions in this prayer suitable for fallen man 
alone, in all his weakness and his wo. We are made of clay, and 
we need bread; therefore we say, "Give us our daily bread." We 
have sinned, and we need pardon ; therefore we say, " Forgive us our 
trespasses." We are liable to be conquered by sin and Satan, and we 
need deliverance from their power, and we cry, " Deliver us from 
evil." 

If our hearts are in tune with this prayer, they are right in the sight 
of God. The unconverted never feel desirous for the things men- 
tioned in this prayer, except for their daily bread. And are they satis- 
fied with daily bread ? O no ; they are not content with necessary 
things, with food, raiment, and a shelter from the storm ; they enter- 
tain a thousand exorbitant wishes ; they desire pleasure, or praise, or 
wealth, or some other worldly gift which God has not promised to be- 
stow. Instead of cherishing these unreasonable wishes, the Christian 
longs for the pardon of his sins, and for his deliverance from the evil 
one. Will these desires be granted ? Will an ungracious friend arise 
to grant a request that is urged in an earnest manner? And shall a 
gracious God refuse to hear fervent prayer ? Will a sinful father give 
bread, and not a stone to a hungry child ; a fish, and not a serpent , 
an egg, and not a scorpion ? And shall our Holy Father give hell to 
those who ask for heaven ? Since the beginning of the world He has 
never treated one of his children in this manner, and He never will. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. LXV. The power and goodness of God. 



Luke IX. 37-44. — Christ exposes the hypocrisy of the Scribes and 

Pharisees 

We never hear of the Saviour refusing to visit those who besought 
his company. Yet no scene could have been more trying to his feel- 
ings than a Pharisee's house. The society of publicans and sinners 
was less revolting to Him than that of proud self-righteous Pharisees. 

One of his first actions gave offence to his host. Knowing that the 
Pharisees imagined that washing their hands before dinner rendered 
them holy, He purposely neglected to observe this custom. The ruling 
desire of the Pharisees was the praise of men. No person can desire 
earnestly both the praise of men and the praise of God ; for no man 
can serve two masters. Just in proportion as we seek honor from 
men, we shall be indifferent to honor from God. The reward the 
Pharisees sought was, a high place in the world's esteem. They loved 



flJNE 19. J CHRIST EXPOSES HYPOCRISY. 275 

the uppermost seats in the synagogue ; (for the most learned and re 
spected among the Jews were permitted to read the law on the Sab- 
bath-days in their sacred assemblies.) When they entered the market- 
place, the Pharisees were gratified at receiving tokens of veneration 
from the multitude ; they were constantly seeking the gratification of 
their pride ; and whether in the house of God, or in the public throng, 
they w r ere thirsting for human honor. 

What were the means they pursued in order to obtain it ? They 
diligently observed all the forms of religion : they fasted and made 
long prayers, and even insisted on giving a tenth of the smallest herbs 
to the priests. But they neglected all secret duties. They were so 
much occupied in pleasing men, that they never thought about pleasing 
God. Secret prayers, secret charities, secret acts of justice, secret 
feelings of love to God — of all these they knew nothing. 

To what did the Lord compare these vain-glorious men? To cups 
and covered dishes, that looked bright outside, but were full of cor- 
ruption within : and to graves that were grown over with grass, but 
that contained dead men's bones. 

Are not each of us conscious that we have, by nature, a strong de- 
sire for the praise of men, and no desire for the praise of God ? This 
is one of the effects of the Fall. Angels are not coveting the admira- 
tion of their companions in bliss ; their eyes are fixed upon their 
Father's face, and in His smile they live and rejoice. 

What confusion it would introduce into heaven were a creature to 
enter there who wishes to be admired ! He would find, that though all 
the blessed inhabitants love one another, that they admire God alone, 
and are perpetually engaged in singing, " Blessing, and glory, and 
honor, and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto 
the Lamb, forever and ever." (Rev. v. 13.) How dejected a Phar- 
isee would feel in such a scene ! 

Does our happiness depend upon our being noticed and honored ? 
If it do, we are not fit for heaven. Job said, " Behold, I am vile." 
Isaiah said, " I am a man of unclean lips." Abraham said, he was 
but dust and ashes ; David, that he was shapen in iniquity ; and Paul, 
that he was the chief of sinners. Yet these were some of the brightest 
saints who ever lived upon earth. Do we feel, as they did, unworthy 
of favor and honor ? The wicked boast, "I am not polluted ; I am 
innocent." (Jer. ii. 23, 35.) Some even dare to say to their fellow- 
sinners, " Stand by thyself, for I am holier than thou." (Is. lxv. 5.) 
What does God say of such proud sinners ? " They are a smoke in 
my nose." But of a penitent, washed in the blood of Christ, and 
clothed in his righteousness, He speaks thus : " His beauty shall be 
as the olive-tree, and his smell as Lebanon." (Hos. xiv. 6.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Job XV. The insigrvific nee of man. 



276 CHRIST EXPOSES THE LAWYERS. f JUNE 20. 



Luke XL 45 to end. — Christ exposes the wickedness of the lawyers. 

The meek and lowly Jesus took no pleasure in denouncing woes 
upon sinners, but he was too faithful to conceal from them his abhor- 
rence of their crimes. 

Among the guests at the Pharisee's house there were some law- 
yers. They were Scribes of the highest order, whose office it was to 
explain the law of God to the people. One of them having heard 
Jesus say, " Wo unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites," (verse 
44,) replied, " Master, thus saying, thou reproachest us also." Re- 
proof was by him considered as reproach. Instead of confessing his 
sin, and seeking pardon, he only desired to justify himself. 

The Lord did not leave these Scribes in ignorance of what par- 
ticular parts of their conduct he condemned. He mentioned three 
glaring sins which they committed. 

(Verse 46.) " Ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and 
ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers." This 
was the first sin reproved. These lawyers taught the people that they 
must do many difficult things to please God, such as fasting, washing 
often, making long prayers ; but they did not trouble themselves to do 
the same. 

The second sin reproved was " building the sepulchres of the 
prophets." But how was this a sin ? It was one branch of the hy- 
pocrisy of the Scribes. They did not build the sepulchres of 
prophets, because they loved their holy characters, but because they 
thought, that by doing honor to the pious dead, they should appear 
pious themselves. It was evident they really approved of their 
fathers' persecutions of the prophets. And how was it evident ? Be- 
cause they persecuted the living prophets. They added to their guilt, 
when, while their hearts were burning with anger against John the 
Baptist, or against the Lord Jesus, they desired that a monument 
should be raised to Elijah, or to some other old prophet. It is easy to 
praise the dead ; they cannot offend us by their faithful reproofs, nor 
shame us by their holy examples. Many praise the reformers and 
martyrs of ancient days, who hate the piety of a brother, or of a 
companion. 

The third sin of the lawyers was, taking away the key of knowl- 
edge. This was worse than binding heavy burdens on the people. 
The burdens might oppress, yet they would not destroy ; but without 
knowledge, the people would perish. If a man took away the key of 
a place where the fire-engines were kept, and if the whole city were 
burned through this conduct, how much ashamed he would be to ap- 
pear among the poor houseless citizens ! And how much ashamed 
will those be at the last day, who have taken away the key of knowl- 
edge ! Those are guilty of this sin, who keep the Bible out of the 
hands of the people ; and those also are guilty of it who pervert the doc- 



JUNE 21.] CHRIST WARNS HIS DISCIPLES. 277 

trines of the Bible, and hide from sinners the only remedy for theii 
guilt, — the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

A faithful minister takes the key committed to him, and by unlock- 
ing the mysteries of God, saves souls from destruction. It is a blessed 
thing to go into the kingdom of God ourselves, and it is a more blessed 
thing to help others to come in with us. The Lord Jesus has de- 
clared, " Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least com- 
mandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the 
kingdom of heaven : but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same 
shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Chron. XXIV. Zerhariah the prophet. 



Luke XII. 1-12. — Christ warns his disciples against hypocrisy. 

We have lately read the Saviour's warnings to the Scribes and 
Pharisees ; now we find him addressing his own disciples. An im- 
mense multitude had been collected by his fame, and were eagerly lis- 
tening to his wonderful words. Before them all, He plainly said to his 
disciples, "Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypoc- 
risy." This was not the first time he had uttered this warning. On 
one occasion his disciples had not understood what he meant by the 
leaven of the Pharisees; but now all understood, for he explained the 
metaphor, and declared that hypocrisy was the leaven to which he 
alluded. 

And are the sincere disciples of Christ in danger of being infected 
by hypocrisy ? Yes, even they may be tainted by this sin, though 
they cannot be given up to its power ; for God will preserve them 
through faith in his name. Peter, and Barnabas, and several other 
Christians, were once guilty of an act that bordered on hypocrisy : it 
is called in Scripture " dissimulation." They dissembled with regard 
to eating with the Gentiles, and were publicly rebuked by the apostle 
Paul. (See Gal. ii.) 

The Lord suggested a powerful motive to guard the heart against 
hypocrisy, — the discoveries and exposures of the judgment-day. Then 
all that has been hid will be known. Not only will the mask be torn 
from the deliberate hypocrite, but the veil which has been cast over 
any part of the conduct of true believers will be lifted up. 

The Lord foresaw all the temptations that would assail his beloved 
disciples, and he endeavored to strengthen them to meet their trials. 
One of their most powerful temptations would be (not to put on, as 
the Pharisees did, the appearance of religion, but) to conceal the love 
they really felt for their Lord. He knew that bloody crosses and 
burning flames would be used by their enemies to induce them to de- 



278 THE RICH FOOL. [JUNE 22. 

ny his name. How tenderly he addresses those who would be called 
to suffer for his sake ! " I say unto you, my friends, Be not afraid of 
them that kill the body." He does not promise his disciples to pre- 
serve them from death : but he does promise to keep them from hell. 
He does not promise to prevent their being brought before rulers and 
magistrates ; but he does promise to be with them in the painful hour, 
and to teach them by the Holy Ghost what to answer. 

How little Peter thought that he should ever be tempted to deny the 
Son of man ! How little he knew that there was comfort for him in 
these words : " Whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of 
man, it shall be forgiven him !" He spoke against the Son of man 
when he said in the judgment-hall, " I know not the man ;" and when 
he confirmed his words by oaths and curses. Our Lord knows not 
only what trials we shall suffer, but what sins we shall commit. It is 
most comforting to think that though all sin will be followed by sorrow, 
yet that there is only one sin that cannot be forgiven. It is the blas- 
phemy against the Holy Ghost, and consists (as we believe) in contin- 
uing to oppose the Gospel from deliberate malice, while, at the same 
time, the Holy Ghost has convinced the mind of its truth. This was 
the sin of the Pharisees. Though they were fully convinced that 
Christ was the Son of God, they were determined to hinder the people 
from believing in him. 

Some of Christ's true disciples have been overcome by fear when 
placed before the bar of cruel judges, and have been tempted to deny 
their Lord. But how bitterly did Jerome of Prague, and our own 
Cranmer, bewail their sin ; and how fully did the Lord testify his for- 
giveness by the support he afforded them when bound to the stake ! No 
human heart can conceive the Lord's tenderness for his persecuted peo- 
ple. Could a father forsake a child who had fallen into trouble on 
his account? Can Jesus forsake his people when suffering for his 
sake? 

Evening Scripture portion. Gal. II. Dissimulation. 



Luke XII. 13-21. — The rich fool who was suddenly cut off. 

While Jesus was instructing his disciples in the presence of the 
multitude, he was interrupted by a man applying to him with this re- 
quest : " Speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with 
me." This man's thoughts were engrossed by a perishing inheritance, 
while Jesus was pointing to that which fadeth not away. 

Had the Lord come into the world to be a judge of temporal 
affairs, he would have attended to the administration of justice : but 
he had come for a different purpose, and he spent all his strength 



JUNE 22.] THE RICH FOOL. 279 

and all his time in finishing the work that his Pather had given 
him to do. 

He made the request of this man the occasion of warning his disci- 
ples against the sin of covetousness. He had warned them against 
hypocrisy, one of the chief sins of the Pharisees ; and now he bade 
them beware of covetousness, another of their sins. He pointed out 
the folly of covetousness by describing the case of a rich man who 
was suddenly called away when he had been making plans for future 
enjoyment. We often hear of these sudden removals, but we do not 
know the secret thoughts of those who are thus unexpectedly cut off. 
He, who knows all the thoughts of all the men that have ever lived 
upon earth, has revealed to us what passed in the mind of a certain 
man just before his death. This man had grown rich through the 
fertility of his fields ; his barns were completely filled with corn, 
wine, and oil ; and he determined to pull down these storehouses, 
and to build larger. He never thought of distributing among the poor 
the overflowings of his granary, and it is too probable that much of 
his property had been acquired by the oppression of his laborers. 
He made plans for his own happiness, but had no desire to make 
others happy. He was so foolish as to believe that his soul would be 
satisfied by the abundance of the things he possessed. A beast 
indeed may be satisfied with a plentiful provision for its body ; but a 
human creature has a soul that thirsts for some higher enjoyment than 
this world can afford. Sumptuous feasts cannot make him happy ; 
nor lovely gardens and splendid houses, nor scientific knowledge and 
elegant accomplishments ; — no, not even affectionate friends and duti- 
ful children. Nothing but communion with God can fill the aching 
void of the human soul. Adam was happy when he walked with 
God, but when by sin he lost that privilege, he became wretched. 
When man returns to God, he feels the first emotions of real bliss. 
David knew this, therefore he said, " Return unto thy rest, O my 
soul." How different was David's command to his soul from 
that of the rich man, who said, " Soul, take thine ease"; eat, drink, and 
be merry !" 

But even if the things of this world could satisfy an immortal spirit, 
there is one circumstance in our present lot that would embitter every 
moment. It is the uncertainty of life. Many a rich man remembers 
with uneasiness that he must one day (and he knows not how soon) 
leave all his possessions. This conviction is like a thorn in many a 
downy pillow, and in many a glittering crown. But he, whose history 
the Lord related, had contrived to smother this unpleasant recollec- 
tion. He was deceived by the fond hope of many years' enjoyment of 
his riches. Well did he merit the name by which God called him, 
" Thou fooir 

How many lost spirits are now execrating their own folly during 
the short season granted them on earth ! What an opportunity we 
are now enjoying of securing real and eternal happiness ! We might 



280 CHRIST WARNS HIS DISCIPLES. [JUNE 23. 

now, during this life, become rich towards God. Those are truly rich 
who have faith in the Lord Jesus. God has declared that some of the 
poor in this world are rich in faith. (James ii. 5.) Faith is the gold 
that Christ offers to bestow on all that ask it : "I counsel thee to buy 
of me gold tried in the fire, that thou may est be rich." (Rev. iii. 18.) 
If faith is in out .hearts, we shall never hear the summons, "Thou 
fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee." But rather, we 
shall hear in God's appointed time a voice saying to our spirits, 
" Come up hither." (Rev. iv. 1. 

Evening Scripture portion. Eccl. II. Search after happiness. 



Luke XII. 22-34. — Christ warns his disciples against worldly care- 
fulness. 

Does the history of the rich man, whose soul was so suddenly re- 
quired, concern the rich only ? or does it concern the poor also ? 

It was to the 'poor disciples that Jesus turned after he had related 
the striking history, and it was to them these words were addressed : 
" Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye 
shall eat ; neither for the body, what ye shall put on." Covetousness 
led the rich man to say to his soul, " Take thine ease, eat, drink, and 
be merry;" and covetousness might lead the poor disciples to ask, 
" What shall we eat, what shall we drink, and wherewithal shall we 
be clothed ?" 

All sinners are inclined to over-value the creature, and to under- 
value the Creator. The rich man betrayed this disposition by de- 
lighting in his well-stored barns, and forgetting his all-sufficient God. 
The disciples were in danger of repining when their scrips were 
empty, and of forgetting their all-sufficient God. If you heard a 
person lamenting greatly because there was no water in his cup, you 
would suppose that he lived in a dry and thirsty land, where water 
could not be found ; but if you knew that a fountain was playing at 
his door, then you would be astonished at his lamentations. Is not 
God a fountain of good l and is He not always near, and able to 
supply all our need ? He does not even limit his goodness to those 
who acknowledge his benefits : millions'of thoughtless beings are fed 
every day at his table, — men who will not thank him, birds and beasts 
that cannot. How many He remembers who continually forget Him ! 
And can Yie forget those who remember Him ? 

Has he not afforded us abundant proofs of his remembrance of 
all his creatures ? Every little bird that sings among the branches, 
every painted flower that blooms among the grass, is a witness of the 
Lord's loving-kindness. Each seems to reproach the child of 



JUNE 24.] CHRIST'S SECOND COMING. 281 

God with his unbelieving fears, and to say, " Be Lot of doubtful 
mind." 

The Lord has so formed his living creatures that they need con- 
tinual supplies of food to preserve their existence. Why has he 
formed us thus ? Was it not to teach us dependence upon Himself? 
As we behold the throngs of people that pass along the street, 
the thought may naturally arise, " How have all these people obtained 
their bread this day ?" The reply is, " Through the kind providence 
of God." Some of them, indeed, (unwilling to trust to this kind 
Providence,) have resorted to wicked means to gain their living ; they 
have acted dishonestly and deceitfully. But had they ah sought his 
kingdom and righteousness, would not their heavenly Father have fed 
them from His own hand ? Undoubtedly he would. It is awful to 
think what sins people are led to commit through w r ant of trust 
in God ; they steal, they tell lies, they break the Sabbath, they sell 
pernicious liquors, and corrupting books ; because they believe, that 
if they did not use these wicked means of gaining a livelihood, they 
would be left to starve. 

It is not surprising that those who do not knoiv God should not 
trust him. The surprising thing is, that any who do know him should 
doubt his watchful care ! Has he promised to give a kingdom to his 
little flock, and will he deny them daily bread ? Has God had mercy 
on your soul, and will he neglect your body ? Do you believe that 
He is love, and do you think that He will treat you as if He hated you ? 

In the land of Canada there once lived a mother, who in her eager- 
ness to obtain intoxicating drink from a newly-arrived ship, left her 
babe upon the landing-place, and forgot to take it up again. It lay 
all night neglected and forlorn, and perished before morning. That 
mother was counted a monster. The Lord says to his children, " Can 
a woman forget her sucking child ? Yea, they may forget, yet will 1 
not forget thee." (Is. xlix. 15.) Yet where is the Christian who 
places as much confidence in his Heavenly Father, as a little child 
places in his earthly parents ? 

Evening Scripture portion. Phi!. IV. The Lord's care of his people. 



Luke XII. 35-48. — Christ exhorts his disciples to watch for his 
second coming. 

There are three short parables contained in the passage we have 
just read. In the first of them Christ compares himself to a master, 
and his disciples to servants. 

He is a master who is expected to return from his wedding to a 
feast prepared at his own house. It is the duty of the servants to be 

36 



282 CHRIST'S SECOND COMING. [JUNE 24. 

ready to receive their lord ; therefore they must have their lights burn- 
ing. They must also ivait upon him, and therefore they must be 
girded, as men in the East are, when about to engage in active em- 
ployment. 

What a joyful view this parable gives of the coming of Christ ! 
There is a marriage supper prepared for the Lamb who once was 
slain. The servants who are found watching shall be the guests at 
that feast, and their Lord shall condescend to serve them : they shall 
hunger no more, neither thirst any more, for the Lamb himself shall 
feed them. 

The next parable compares the coming of Christ to the coming of a 
thief, who always endeavors to attack the house at an unexpected mo- 
ment. What a dreadful view this parable gives of the coming of 
Christ ! How unlike it is to the first parable ! Will the coming of 
the Lord be to some like the breaking in of a thief? The apostle 
Paul declares that just when the ungodly are saying, " Peace and 
safety," then sudden destruction cometh upon them ; and they shall 
not escape. " But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day 
should overtake you as a thief." We see, therefore, why two such 
different parables were used by our Lord to represent the same event. 
He intended to teach us that while some have reason to rejoice at the 
expectation of his coming, others have reason to tremble at the thought. 

It appears that Peter was alarmed by the latter parable : for he 
asked this question, " Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even 
to all V His Lord answered the question by relating another parable 
on the same subject as the former. In this parable he spoke of one 
servant who was set over the rest, and whom he called a steward, and 
who would be most guilty if he betrayed the trust reposed in him. 
The apostles were stewards, and all ministers are stewards. The 
word of God is the food, which they are to dispense to the rest of the 
household. Now, if a steward in his Lord's absence were to begin to 
ill-treat the servants, and to waste his master's property in rioting and 
drunkenness, how very much displeased his lord would be with him 
when he returned ! The Scribes had reason to tremble as they lis- 
tened to this parable ; for though it was not spoken to them, it applied 
to them. 

What idea would lead a steward to conduct himself in a disorderly 
and oppressive manner? The idea that his lord would not return 
soon. He would say, " My lord delay eth his coming." He might 
not go so far as to believe he would never return at all, and say with 
the scoffers, "Where is the promise of his coming?" but he would 
not be less guilty than those scoffers ; he would be more guilty, be- 
cause he is intrusted with more. To abuse confidence is to commit 
the worst sort of injury. In human laws the crime is always consid- 
ered great in proportion to the trust that had been reposed in the crim- 
inal. A servant who betrays his master is counted more guilty than 
if he had been a stranger. There will be degrees in the misery of the 



JUNE 25.] THE GOSPEL WILL OCCASION DIVISIONS. 283 

lost ; and the deepest degree of misery will be endured by him who 
abused the highest privileges. 

Now let us, like Peter, ask this question : " Speakest thou this 
parable unto us ?" Surely the Lord speaks to us in all these para- 
bles : for though we may not be stewards in the same sense that min- 
isters are, we all have some charge committed to us. Are we acting 
now as we should wish we had done, if to-morrow we were to find 
ourselves on the brink of eternity ? Is there any sin we are practising, 
which we should renounce if we thought this day was our last ! Who 
can say that it may not be our last ! With some persons this is the 
last day, — with many more it is the last week, — with thousands it is 
the last month, — with millions the last year. Are we prepared to meet 
the Lord ? If not, why do we not prepare immediately 1 There is a 
fountain opened for sin, in which we may immediately wash. Yet 
how many have never washed in it ! If Christ were to come now, he 
would find them in their sins. Say not, " He will not come yet ;" for 
remember it is very dangerous even to think, " My lord delay eth his 
coming." 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Thess. V. The Lord's second coming. 



Luke XII. 49-53. — Christ foretells that the Gospel will occasion 

divisions. 

The Lord Jesus is called the Prince of peace ; yet he did not come 
to bring peace upon the earth, but rather division. 

Is not this surprising ? How can we understand the song of the 
angels, who joined in chorus at his birth, saying, "Peace on earth, 
good-will to men ?" The difficulty, however, may be explained. 

Jesus came to bring divisions first, and aflerwdrds peace. And 
why did he bring divisions first ? Why not peace from beginning to 
end ? It was because the wickedness of man opposes the peaceful 
doctrines of the holy Gospel. 

Can any thing show in a stronger light the depravity of the human 
heart than the manner in which the Gospel has been received by the 
world ? If any doubt whether man is very wicked, and very far gone 
from original righteousness, let them reflect on this fact. If pardon 
were now offered to the evil spirits in darkness, could they reject the 
boon with more contempt than the world in general has rejected the 
offer of pardon in the Gospel ? But the world has not been satisfied 
with rejecting it — they have persecuted those few happy persons who 
have accepted it. Even now there is scarcely a large family to be 
found, all of whom have embraced the gracious offer. In many fam- 
ilies there are none ; in others, there is one or two who have believed, 



284 CHRIST REPROVES THE PEOPLE. [ JUNE 26. 

while the rest despise both the message and those who believe it. 
Sometimes it is a pious parent, who is despised by his thoughtless 
children : sometimes it is a pious child, who is opposed by his worldly 
parent. Nations are divided in the same manner as families. No 
wars have been so bitter as religious wars ; no persecution so bloody 
as religious persecutions, or, rather, the persecutions of the religious. 
Shall we think ill of religion because it produces these effects ? As 
well might we deem the medicines of the physician hurtful, because 
at first they often increase the sufferings of the patient. The Lord 
Jesus, who foresaw all events, rejoiced that his Gospel would be 
preached in every land. 

He said, " I am come to send fire on the earth, and what will I if 
it be already kindled ?" What is the meaning of these words ? 

" What will I ?" Do I wish it to be otherwise ? 

" If it be already kindled," if even noio the Gospel has begun to 
create confusion. 

The Prince of peace was willing that for a while confusion should 
prevail, in order that happiness at length might fill the earth, and en- 
dure forever. He was willing himself to encounter the most bitter 
sufferings, in order that afterwards he might be exalted to God's right 
hand. The baptism he desired was a baptism of blood. Bathed in 
his own blood, he suffered for our sins in Gethsemane and Calvary. 
He was straitened till this baptism was accomplished. He longed 
to finish his work, and to receive his reward ; and now he longs for 
the period when the earth will be no more steeped in blood, but cov- 
ered by the waters of righteousness. He has commanded us to pray 
for that glorious time, and to say, " Thy kingdom come." In those 
days shall " the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace as long as 
the moon endureth." (Ps. lxxii. 7.) When Jesus comes the second 
time, he will put an end to all divisions, whether in families or be- 
tween nations. " Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wast- 
ing nor destruction within thy borders." For this delightful day the 
saints earnestly hope, and " with patience wait." (Rom. viii. 25.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Micah VII. Family divisions. 



Luke XII. 54 to end. — Christ reproves the people for not discerning 
the signs of the time. 

The long discourse contained in this chapter was addressed to the 
disciples, excepting these few words at the conclusion. They were 
addressed to the people — to the immense multitude who surrounded 
the Saviour, and who were pressed so closely together that they trod 
upon each other. 



JUNE 26.] CHRIST REPROVES THE PEOPLE. 285 

The Lord had spoken to his own disciples with tenderness. He 
had called them his "friends" (see ver. 4.) " My friends, be not 
afraid of them that kill the body." But he spoke to the people with 
displeasure. He called them "hypocrites." This was the name he 
had given to the Scribes and Pharisees. The people were like the 
teachers they admired. Blind leaders have blind followers. Hypo- 
critical teachers have hypocritical disciples. The Scribes would not 
discern the signs of the time, and the people who reverenced them 
would not discern them either. " Like people, like priest." (Hos. 
iv. 9.) 

As there are certain appearances by which close observers are able 
to foretell the kind of weather Xh^X may be expected, so there are cer- 
tain signs by which reflecting minds might discover the kind of time 
that is approaching. When the time for the deliverance of Israel from 
Egypt drew nigh, the parents of Moses knew it was near, and Moses 
knew it also ; but the Israelites understood not the signs of that time. 
When the captivity of Babylon drew nigh, the people of God knew 
the time ; but the world knew it not. When the time for Israel's re- 
lease approached, Daniel knew it ; but many of the captives knew it 
not. When, in the fulness of time, God sent forth his Son, some 
were prepared to receive him. Simeon and Anna knew the signs of 
the time, and spoke of Jesus to those who looked for redemption in 
Jerusalem ; but the world knew not the signs of the time. 

Thus it shall be in the last time. It is prophesied* in Daniel, that 
the wise shall understand, but none of the wicked shall understand. 
(See Dan. xii. 10.) The wicked shall go on doing wickedly, just as 
the people did before the flood. 

Had the Jews of old understood the time, they would have repent- 
ed before it was too late. They knew not that their opportunity 
would be so short. The Saviour would remain with them but a little 
while, the apostles would preach only for a few years, and then their 
city would be destroyed, their temple burnt, and their country laid 
desolate. 

Their compassionate Lord knew that their day of grace was fast 
hastening to a close, and he related a little parable (which he had be- 
fore related in his sermon on the mount) to warn them of their danger. 
He compared the nation to a criminal on his way to the judge. While 
on his way, the criminal had the opportunity to entreat his enemy to 
be reconciled ; but if he neglected this short opportunity, he would be 
tried, condemned, and cast into a prison, whence he would never 
escape. 

The Lord knows for how long a period we shall enjoy the privi- 
leges we now possess : He has numbered our Sabbaths, our meetings 
together as a family to read and pray, our interviews with pious 
friends, our opportunities of secret prayer. In mercy He often gives 
signs before He removes these sacred privileges. Sometimes the 
signs are terrible judgments inflicted upon others, and gracious deliver- 



286 CHRIST SPEAKS OF TWO AWFUL EVENTS. [jUNE 27. 

ances granted to ourselves. Thus the Lord said to Israel, " I have 
overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah : 
and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning ; yet have ye 
not returned unto me, saith the Lord." (Amos iv. 11.) " Prepare to 
meet thy God, O Israel." The Lord Jesus is now easy to be en- 
treated, and ready to forgive ; but when He is on his throne of judg- 
ment, he will hearken to no entreaties, and grant no forgiveness. 

In the lone land of deep despair, 

No Sabbath's heavenly light shall rise : 
No God regard your bitter prayer, 

No Saviour call you to the skies. 

Now God invites, how bless'd the day ! 

How sweet the gospel's heavenly sound ! 
Come, sinners, haste, O haste away, 

While yet a pardoning God is found. 

Evening Scripture portion. Dan. XII. The time of the end. 



Luke XIII. 1-5. — Christ speaks of two awful events that had lately 
happened at Jerusalem. 

It is most interesting to us to know what passes in heaven respect- 
ing ourselves. In this passage, some of the light of the other world is 
let into our dark prison. 

The discourses of the Lord were often interrupted by the questions 
and remarks of his hearers. On this occasion some of those present 
spoke of an awful event that had lately happened in Jerusalem. Per- 
haps they thought that this event was unknown to the Lord till they 
told him of it. But all things that, ever had occurred, or ever would 
occur, were known to him, for they were appointed by him. He 
knew of this appalling transaction, and he knew its secret causes. 

Some of the men of Galilee had lately rebelled against the Roman 
power. Pontius Pilate, the governor, had sent officers to apprehend 
the rebels. In what place were they found ? In the temple. How 
were they engaged ? Offering sacrifices. Though rebels, they con- 
tinued to approach God ; but their services were odious in his sight. 
The Roman officers respected neither the place nor the employment, 
but slew the rebels, and mingled their blood with the blood of the 
beasts that were ready to be sacrificed. Many persons who heard of 
the event concluded that because these men perished in so dreadful a 
manner, they were sinners of the deepest dye. But is this the rule of 
God's government ? Does he mark out the most signal transgressors 
for the most signal judgments ? In human courts of justice it is the 
ringleader who is condemned, when his accomplices often escape 



JUNE 28.] THE PARABLE OF THE FIG-TREE. 287 

punishment. No doubt God also would act in this manner, were this 
earth the place of judgment. But there is another place of judgment : 
there sinners are punished in exact proportion to their guilt. He that 
knew his Lord's will, and did it not, shall be beaten with many stripes. 
But in this world some of the most daring offenders live at ease, and 
die in apparent peace. The rich man in the parable, who lifted up 
his eyes in torments, had lived in luxury and been buried with honor ; 
while the faithful Lazarus, covered with sores, had languished at his 
gate. Jonathan, the generous friend of David, fell in battle, and his 
body, as well as the wicked Saul's, was exposed by the Philistines. 
When we hear of shipwrecks, and of fires, we often find the wicked 
and the just have shared the same fate.- Sometimes one out of a 
great number escapes alone. Is he the best, the most approved by 
God ? Perhaps he is the most guilty. When Saul slew the priests 
of the Lord, one alone escaped. It was Abiathar. Was he a faithful 
priest ? No ; he became a rebel and a traitor. Then what are we 
to learn from the judgments of the Lord ? To fear that God who 
can destroy all his enemies. It is love that arrests his arm, and 
causes him to suspend the blow that is ready to descend. 

Though the righteous are slain with the wicked, they are not in- 
volved in their destruction. To them sudden death is sudden glory. 
Those who have witnessed their behavior in the midst of storms, and 
in the approach of death, have testified to their calmness and their joy. 
When the Pegasus was wrecked, there was a pious minister on board, 
named Mackenzie, whose voice was raised in intercessions for his 
companions in danger, till the billows overwhelmed them all. It was 
beautiful to behold him, surrounded by the shrieking crew, composed, 
and peaceful in the midst of the tumult, of the waves. Was sudden 
death a judgment to this holy man ? But it ivas an awful judgment 
to those who had despised the gospel, and neglected their own souls. 
Whenever we hear of these calamities, God is speaking to us in a 
voice of thunder, and saying, " Except ye repent, ye shall perish." 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Sam. XXII. Abiathar the priest. 



Luke XIII. 6-9. — The parable of the Jig -tree. 

With this awful parable the Lord concluded his discourse to the 
innumerable multitude who were pressed together around him. 

It seems to have been uttered as a warning to the whole Jewish 
nation. That people had long enjoyed distinguished privileges, but 
their greatest had been the ministry of the Lord Jesus. It had now 
lasted about three years. How had they profited from it ? They 
were still "hypocrites" (xii. 56.) But the Lord was unwilling to 



288 THE PARABLE OF THE FIG-TREE. [JUNE 28. 

give them up. During the course of the coming year further efforts 
would be made for their salvation. In a few months the great sacri- 
fice for sin would be offered, the great triumph of the Son of God by 
rising from the dead would take place, and the Holy Ghost would 
descend in flaming fire upon the disciples, and the gospel would be 
preached in power at Jerusalem. Would the nation repent when they 
saw and heard these things ? No, they would not. The sentence 
would then go forth, " Cut it down." The sentence has been execu- 
ted. That fig-tree, the Jewish nation, has been cut down, but the 
roots are yet left in the earth. The words of Job may be applied to 
that afflicted people : " There is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that 
it will sprout again, and that the tender branches thereof will not 
cease. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock 
thereof die in the ground ; yet through the scent of ivater it will bud, 
and bring forth boughs like a plant." (Job xiv. 7-9.) 

The water from heaven shall at length descend upon the chosen na- 
tion, and the dry stump shall send forth green shoots ; Israel shall bud, 
and blossom, and fill the face of the world with fruit ; the Jews shall 
return to their own land, and worship their crucified Redeemer. 

But does this parable apply to that nation alone, and does it not 
apply to individuals ? There is not one single plant in God's vine- 
yard that is not watched over by the great husbandman. The Lord 
exercises great patience towards each ; but at the same time he will 
not allow unfruitful trees always to encumber the ground. He had 
great patience with Saul, the king of Israel, but after giving him re- 
peated trials, and repeated warnings, He took away his mercy from 
him. (2 Sam. Vii. 15.) We are not permitted to hear the counsels 
of heaven respecting ourselves, but we know that our state of heart 
and our conduct are observed by Him who seeth all things. 

The gardener is slow in determining to cut down a tree that he has 
nurtured with care. How much more unwilling is the compassionate 
Saviour to cast off those whom he has blessed with great privileges ! 
Many who pray not for themselves, are prayed for by others ; their 
time for repentance is lengthened out, — but not for ever. A sudden 
stroke often cuts off those who have long refused to hear the gentle 
invitations of the gospel : " He that being often reproved, hardeneth 
his heart, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy" 

But there are no sinners more provoking to the Lord than those, 
who when they hear His threatenings, say in their hearts, " I shall 
have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my heart." These 
presumptuous transgressors are likened to roots that bear, instead of 
fruit, gall and wormwood. And how will God deal with them ? His 
anger, and his jealousy, will smoke against them, and he will blot out 
their names from under heaven. (Deut. xxix. 18-20.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Zeph. III. The punishment and pardon of Israel. 



JUNE 29.] THE WOMAN WHO WAS BOWED TOGETHER. 289 



Luke XIII. 10-17. — Christ restores a woman who was bowed 

together. 

The objects that attracted the Saviour's eye were those that the 
world overlooks or even derides. A poor creature bowed down, and 
in nowise able to lift herself up, would incur many a contemptuous 
glance from the thoughtless and unfeeling. Some poor cripples are 
afraid of venturing out of their houses, lest they should meet with 
scornful looks or hear unfeeling remarks. But this afflicted woman 
was not restrained by such fears from entering the public congrega- 
tion. With pain and difficulty she must have reached the place of 
worship. There are pious persons who love the house of God so 
well, that they drag their decrepit frames along the toilsome way, 
resting now upon a bank, and now upon a stone, rejoicing when they 
reach the threshold, as a voyager when he lands upon a distant shore. 
Souls that thirst after God, spare no pains to get a refreshing draught 
from the wells of salvation. 

How must this poor woman have felt when she heard the Lord 
Jesus desire her to approach ! She did not apply to him for relief; 
perhaps she did not know that he would be at the synagogue ; and as 
she could not lift herself up, she may never have seen his gracious 
countenance. But when she heard his voice, she refused not to come 
near. The Saviour laid his hands upon her and healed her. Her 
first act was " to glorify God." There were some present who, in- 
stead of being touched by the sight of her joy, were filled with indig- 
nation. The ruler of the synagogue was one of these. He had not 
dared to prevent the Lord from teaching in the synagogue, because he 
knew the admiration in which he was held by the people. But now 
he could no longer restrain his rage, and he angrily addressed the con- 
gregation, saying, " There are six days in which men ought to work ; 
in them therefore, come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath days." 
The people had not come to the synagogue in order to be healed ; 
they had come to worship God. The ruler knew this, but he only 
sought for some pretence to hinder the glorious triumphs of the Re- 
deemer. 

It was foolish ever to attempt to argue against the Lord of all wis- 
dom. By one word he could confound his most subtle adversaries. 
He exposed the hollowness of the ruler's heart, by showing that the 
compassion exercised towards a beast on the Sabbath-day must surely 
not be withheld from a child of Abraham. How many arguments are 
now brought forward against various plans of doing good to souls, that 
the Saviour would overturn by such an appeal as this ! 

The same reply that stung the ruler to the quick, must have poured 
consolation into the poor woman's heart. The Lord called her a 
daughter of Abraham ; and he acknowledged none to be the children 

37 



290 THE MAN WHO WAS BORN BLIND. [JUNE 30. 

of Abraham except those who did " the works of Abraham." Gould 
the straightness of her body afford her as much joy as the assurance 
of the safety of her soul ? 

She discovered also the cause of her affliction. It was the power 
of an evil spirit that had bound her for eighteen years. If her faith 
was now like that of Abraham, we see it had been exercised by long 
and heavy trials. But those trials had not been longer nor heavier 
than was necessary for the perfecting of her faith. From the begin- 
ning of her affliction the day of release had been known to the Lord, 
though unknown to her. The glories of that day must have made her 
forget the long period of her sorrow. Was not that day glorious in 
which she was called, and touched, and commended by her Saviour? 
It seems an emblem of that more glorious day when the people of God 
will be made free forever from the bondage of corruption, and will re- 
ceive from their Lord the assurance of his everlasting favor. How 
light all the afflictions of this life will then appear ! how short their 
period ! Whether they lasted eighteen or eighty years, the time will 
then appear as a moment. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. CXLVI. CXLVII. The poor afflicted. 



John IX. 1-5. — The man who was born blind. 

The disciples asked a very singular question, when they said, 
"Who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 
How could they suppose that any sin of the man could cause him to 
be born blind ? It appears that they must have entertained a super- 
stitious notion common among the Jews with regard to the soul. 
Some of them imagined that souls passed from one body to another, 
and that when they had acted wickedly in one body, the next time they 
were born into the world, they received some punishment. This was 
an idea taken from the heathen, and was very false and absurd. How 
dangerous it is for men to follow their own imaginations respecting 
things unseen ! The Scriptures give us a true account of all things ; 
if we would follow them alone, we should be spared many tormenting 
ideas. How painful it must have been for men born blind to think 
that their blindness was the punishment of sins they could not remem- 
ber, and which, in fact, they had not committed ! How it must have 
added to the weight of their calamity, to find themselves regarded by 
their fellow-creatures as objects of God's especial displeasure ! 

But the Lord Jesus viewed this blind man with especial tenderness. 
Those most afflicted in their bodies are sometimes the most honored, 
and the most beloved of God. There are many persons who could 



JUNE 30.] THE MAN WHO WAS BORN BLIND. 291 

testify that it was through the loss of a limb, or of sight, or of hearing, 
they were brought to know the Saviours power and grace. 

And why did the Lord take a deep interest in this blind beggar ? 
Was it because he felt compassion for one who had never beheld the 
light of day ? No doubt he did feel this compassion ; but there was 
another feeling, stronger even than compassion, that filled his heart. 
It was the desire for his Father's glory. He knew that in this blind 
man his Father's power and grace would be shown forth. Therefore, 
when the disciples asked the reason of the poor beggar's blindness, he 
told them the reason w r as, " that the works of God should be made 
manifest in him." When affliction is sent, let each of us reflect, " Per- 
haps this trial has been appointed that God l s power may be shown in 
sustaining me under it, or in delivering me from it." If we love 
God fervently, we shall be willing to suffer in order to promote his 
glory. 

One mode of promoting it is by suffering his will ; but there is 
another mode, — doing his will. When we are not pressed down by 
the weight of some affliction, we should be seeking for opportunities 
of doing good to our fellow-creatures. How impressive are the Sa- 
viour's words : " I must work the works of him that sent me, while it 
is day : the night cometh, when no man can work." The Lord Jesus 
knew the exact period when the night of death would put an end to 
his labors of love upon earth. But we know not at what moment that 
night will overtake us, and deprive us of the opportunity of serving 
God any more here below. Have we begun to do the works of God ? 
The first work is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Are we spend- 
ing our days in pleasing ourselves, or in pleasing God ? How many 
are now wrapped in the shades of night who mispent the short day in 
which they might have served the Lord ! 

Sometimes, when night comes on, we remember some business that 
we have omitted, and that we ought to have done during the day. 
We think to ourselves, "We will do it to-morrow." But when the 
night of death is at hand, we shall not be able to make that resolution. 
What has been left undone, can never be done at all by us. If the 
great business has been left undone, — if the one thing needful has 
been forgotten, how miserable will be our condition ! But if we have 
obtained pardon ourselves, this will not satisfy us. We shall wish 
that we had helped our fellow-creatures out of their misery by direct- 
ing them to the Saviour. How blessed were the last hours of Count 
Zinzendorf ! They were spent in praising God for having converted 
so many of the heathen. " I only hoped," said the Count, " to do a 
little good, to see a few poor heathen turn to the Lord, and behold 
thousands have beneved." It filled him w T ith joy to think he was going 
to meet some of them in heaven, — Indians, and Negroes, and Green- 
landers, whom he had never seen upon earth, but to save whom he had 
sent missionaries to distant lands. Many who saw him die were heard 
to say, " May my last end be like his." 



292 CHRIST DIRECTS THE BLIND MAN. [JULY 1. 

If we wish to die as he did, let us now remember the command, 
" Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." (Eccles. 
ix. 10.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Eccl. IX. Diligence. 



John IX. 6-23. — Christ directs the blind man to wash in Siloam. 

There were many reasons that might have deterred the Saviour 
from curing the blind man. It was the Sabbath-day : enemies were 
watching his actions, in the hope of renewing their accusations against 
him : the blind man did not ask to be healed, neither did the disciples 
plead for him. Jesus might have passed on without noticing the poor 
beggar, but He would not lose the opportunity of glorifying his Father. 
He knew that the restoration of the blind man would be a miracle 
that would attract public attention ; because it was generally known 
in Jerusalem that the man had been blind from his birth. The means 
He used were peculiar to this occasion. The Lord made clay, and 
put it over the man's eyes, and then bade him wash in a pool. Who 
could have thought that clay could be used as a means of restoring 
sight ? But God shows forth his power by employing the most un- 
likely means for performing his greatest wonders. His greatest won- 
der of all, the redemption of the world, was effected by the most un- 
likely means — the crucifixion of the Son of Man ; and the preaching 
of the cross, though by some counted foolishness, is to them that are 
saved the power of God. But the man was not restored by the clay 
alone — he was commanded to wash in a poo] called Siloam, which 
signifies Sent. If he had not obeyed the command he would not have 
obtained the blessing. Neither can sinners obtain pardon unless they 
obey the command to wash in the fountain of Christ's blood. 

When this poor man had received his sight, he did not enjoy the 
privilege of beholding his benefactor. He did not know where to find 
him, and if he had met him, he would not have known him. 

He soon found himself surrounded by enemies, and standing before 
the Pharisees to be judged. For what ? Because lie was a witness 
of the power of Jesus, whom they hated. 

What could this poor man do ? There was no one to answer for 
him ; his benefactor was not near to defend him, and his parents re- 
fused to say a word in his behalf. How did he behave in these diffi- 
cult circumstances ? With more courage than the apostles showed 
when first placed in similar peril. 

When the Jews inquired, " What sayest thou of him ?" he boldly 
replied, " He is a prophet." Thus he was faithful to the truth as far 
as he knew it. God has promised "to him that hath shall be given." 



JULY 2.] THE MAN WHO WAS BORN BLIND. 293 

Those who follow the convictions of their consciences shall receive 
more grace. 

How ungenerous was the conduct of the beggar's parents ! They 
showed no gratitude for the benefit conferred upon their son, nor were 
they willing to run any risk. in order to shield their own offspring from 
disgrace, but left him to stand alone against the host of his enemies. 
When asked how he had obtained his sight, they replied, " He is of 
age : ask him." How little they thought those words would be re- 
corded to their everlasting shame ! They sought to escape disgrace ; 
but they have incurred the deepest. They feared lest they should be 
put out of the synagogue ; but they considered not the danger of being 
shut out of heaven. How the heart of the poor blind man must have 
sunk within him when he heard his own parents refusing to take his 
part ! It is a heavy trial to pious children when their parents hang 
back, and say nothing in their defence ; much more when they join 
with an ungodly world in reproaching them. At such a moment they 
have need to think of the words of the psalmist ; " When my father 
and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up." (Prov. 
xxvii. 10.) 

Many Christians can remember a time in their lives when they 
were desolate — when they " looked on their right hand, and beheld, 
and there was no man that would know them." Then it was, they 
looked to the Lord, and said, "Thou art my refuge, and my portion in 
the land of the living." 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. CXLII. CXLIII. The prayers of the desolate. 



John IX. 24-34. — The Pharisees cast out the man who was born 

blind. 

The conduct of the Pharisees was exactly opposite to that of the 
man who was born blind. The Pharisees betrayed their hypocrisy in 
every word they uttered, while the poor beggar evinced in all his' re- 
plies sincerity. They endeavored to cover their hatred against the 
Saviour by an appearance of religion. They said, " Give God the 
praise : this man is a sinner." But the single and straight-forward 
character with whom they argued was not to be deceived by their af- 
fectation of piety. He reasoned well ; he kept to facts. He said, 
"Whereas I was blind, now I see." This was a fact, a convincing 
fact. There are many who can meet all the arguments used against 
true religion by this declaration : " Whereas I was a dark, ignorant 
creature, a stranger to God and myself ; now I know that he is gra- 
cious, and that 1 am a sinner. I rejoice in the light that his gospel 



294 THE RESTORED BLIND MAN CAST OUT. [JULY 2. 

has poured into my mind, and I am persuaded that His word is 
truth? 

Experience strengthens the mind against the attacks of infidels, 
more than all the philosophy in the world. 

The Pharisees became enraged when they found they could make 
no impression on the poor man's mind. The inquiry, "Will ye also 
be his disciples ?" offended their pride, and provoked them to use in- 
sulting language. But the beggar betrayed neither anger nor fear. 
He boldly yet calmly answered, " God heareth not sinners." This 
was a scriptural sentiment : " The prayer of the wicked is an abomi- 
nation to the Lord." The prayers of penitent sinners are heard, but 
not the prayers of those sinners who are pursuing a course of iniquity. 
If Jesus had been an impostor, God would not have heard him, or 
enabled him to do miracles. The poor man did not know that Jesus 
was the Son of God, but he felt assured that he was a true prophet. He 
believed, as Nicodemus once did, that he was a teacher sent from 
God. But how much more courageous he was than Nicodemus ! 
The ruler came to Jesus by night for fear of the Jews, his equals in 
power and authority : the beggar in open day acknowledged Him be- 
fore his superiors in rank and station. Nicodemus had much learn- 
ing ; he was a master or teacher in Israel ; the beggar having been 
born blind, could not even have learned to read. Yet Nicodemus 
knew less of the truth than the blind beggar. 

God delights in showing his power by exalting those whom the 
world despises. A simple peasant has often a clearer view of the 
gospel than a learned, though sincere, inquirer. It is the Holy Spirit 
who opens the eyes of the understanding, and sometimes he en- 
lightens with his brightest beams the most ignorant. If we would be 
truly wise, we must pray for His light. 

The poor man was not suffered to go unpunished. The Pharisees, 
after first reproaching him in an unfeeling manner, saying, " Thou 
wast altogether born in sins," proceeded to cast him out. Though they 
still permitted him to enter the synagogue, they forbade him to approach 
any of the congregation. Did no fears oppress his mind respecting 
his temporal provision ? Unaccustomed to work, how could he earn 
his daily bread 1 or how could an excommunicated man hope to obtain 
alms from the passers-by ? Thus he suffered the loss of all things for 
his Saviour's sake. He is the first whose name is recorded as openly 
disgraced for confessing Christ. He is the first of a glorious train, 
some of whom suffered reproach, others imprisonment, and others 
death, because they would not deny Jesus. His case was singular, 
because he knew not the glory of the Being on whose account he was 
cast out. He knew not that he was the Son of God. 

If we, who do know who Jesus is, should be ashamed of him be- 
fore the world, how would the conduct of this poor beggar condemn 
us ! May the Lord give us grace not to be afraid of a man that shall 
die, or of the son of man that shall be made as grass ; but to fear him 



JULY 3.] CHRIST FINDS THE OUTCAST. 295 

who stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth, 
even Him who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead, and will raise us 
also, if we believe in Him. 

For what is man, and what — his smile? 

The terror of his anger — what? 
Like grass he flourishes awhile, 

And then his place shall know him not. 
For fear of such an one shall I 
The Lord of Heaven and earth deny? 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. LI. Encouragement for the persecuted. 



John IX. 35-38. — Christ finds the outcast. 

Even a human creature, though of an evil nature, is interested in 
one who suffers for his sake. If we knew of a person, who was 
plunged into trouble for defending us, would not every generous and 
compassionate feeling lead us to fly to his consolation ! 

How much more must the Son of God, who is infinitely good, have 
felt for one who was suffering for his sake ! Did he not show that he 
cared for the blind man, by seeking him when cast out by his perse- 
cutors ? It was easy for the all-seeing Shepherd to find the sheep that 
had been driven away. He had followed him with his eye, and had 
strengthened him with his grace, even when he appeared to have for- 
saken him, and to have left him to suffer alone. He who saw Na- 
thaniel under the fig-tree, saw the once blind beggar when insulted by 
the Pharisees, and when cast out of the synagogue. 

We are not told on what spot he found him, but we are told in what 
manner he spoke to him. Did the poor man recognise his benefactor? 
Though he had never seen his countenance, surely -that voice could 
never be forgotten, which had pronounced the words, " Go, wash in 
the pool of Siloam." It must have filled his heart with delight when 
he heard that beloved voice again. After all the bitter revilings that 
had been heaped upon him, how those kind accents must have soothed 
his feelings ! Jesus had sought him, and found him, and he was come 
to bestow richer blessings upon him than at the first. He was come 
to manifest Himself to him. He asked, " Dost thou believe on the 
Son of God ?" The poor man answered, " Who is he, Lord, that I 
might believe on him ?" There was nothing but ignorance that hin- 
dered this man from believing. The Lord speedily removed it by say- 
ing, " Thou hast both seen him, and it is He that talketh with thee." 
Then the poor man exclaimed, " Lord, I believe." Not satisfied with 
declaring his belief, he offered his homage : he worshipped the Son of 
God. 



296 CHRIST ACCUSES THE PHARISEES f JULY 4. 

There are none of us who are in his state of ignorance. We can- 
not say, " Who is the Son of God, that we might believe on him ?" 
We heard from our early childhood that Jesus was the Son of God. 
Though we have not seen him, and though he has not talked with us, 
yet we know that he died for us, and that he is now living to intercede 
for us, if we come to God in his name. The beggar did not know so 
much as this, when he said, " Lord, I believe." Yet how hard-hearted 
and ungrateful we should think him, if he had not believed in the Be- 
ing who had done so much for him ! He knew that every word his 
benefactor uttered must be truth. Before he had seen him he had 
loved him, and had suffered for his sake ; and when he did see him, 
and when he knew who he was, he adored him. Do we believe in the 
Son of God ? Do we love him ? Are we willing to suffer contempt 
for his sake ? Then our first meeting with him will be joyful. God 
has promised that we shall behold our Saviour, that we shall see him 
face to face, that we shall hear him speak. What will be our feelings 
when we actually look upon the glorious Being who died for us ! 
What will be our joy, if he receive us with the same kindness which 
he showed to the poor beggar ! In one moment, that man must have 
forgotten the reproaches and revilings of the Pharisees. It was worth 
enduring all their sneers, to obtain one gracious smile from the Lord 
of glory. 

If ever we are exposed to the contempt of our fellow-creatures, on 
account of our fidelity to Christ, let us reflect on the time when we 
shall behold His countenance. Had the poor man treacherously be- 
trayed his benefactor in the presence of the Pharisees, how would he 
have felt when he saw him, and knew that he was the Son of God ! 
He would have desired, as Adam did, to hide himself, that he might 
not encounter his upbraiding glance. 

Jesus will come again, with clouds, and every eye shall see him. 
And shall every eye beam with gladness when it beholds him ? no ; 
all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. But some among 
all kindreds will rejoice. " They shall lift up their voice, they shall 
sing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the sea." 
(Is. xxiv. 14.) May we act so faithfully during his absence, that we 
may be glad when He returns ! 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts V. 17 to end. Persecution. 



John IX. 39 to end. — Clirist accuses the Pharisees of wilful blindness. 

We know not in what circumstances the interview between Jesus 
and the poor outcast took place, whether it occurred when they were 
alone, or surrounded by Pharisees. 



JULY 4.] OF WILFUL BLINDNESS. 297 

Soon afterwards, however, we find Jesus again addressing his ene- 
mies in these words : " For judgment am I come into this world." 
But did not he come into the world for salvation ? Yes, salvation with 
judgment ; that is, with distinction of character. He did not save all, 
but those only who received him. He came in such a form, and in 
such a way, that the world would not receive him. Had he come in 
splendor and glory, then all would have received him ; but he came 
adorned with the beauty of holiness, and not with the pomp of kings. 
By coming in this manner he tried men's hearts. The aged Simeon, 
when he blessed the infant Saviour, declared, " He shall be a sign that 
shall be spoken against, that the thoughts of many hearts may be re- 
vealed." 

The proud and worldly-minded rejected the lowly Saviour ; the 
humble and contrite loved and followed him. The man who had just 
been cast out of the synagogue was one of those wdiom Jesus came to 
save. He knew he was a sinner, and that he needed a Saviour. The 
Pharisees who cast him out, thought they were holy, and needed no 
Saviour. The Lord drew the characters of the outcast and of his per- 
secutors in these words : " For judgment am I come into this world ; 
that they which see not might see, and that they which see might be 
made blind." The Pharisees rightly supposed that the Lord alluded 
to them in the latter part of this declaration, and they insolently inquired, 
" Are we blind also?" Jesus returned a mysterious answer : " If ye 
were blind, ye should have no sin ; but now ye say, 'We see ;' there- 
fore your sin remaineth." In one sense the Pharisees were blind, — 
in another sense they were not blind. They saw not the glory of 
God : but why ? because they wilfully shut their eyes. 

God will condemn none of his creatures for ignorance which they 
cannot avoid. " If ye were blind," said the Saviour, " ye should have 
no sin." But it is an aggravated case when a sinner shuts his eyes 
against the light, and at the same time declares that he sees. In such 
conduct, rebellion, and pride, and falsehood are combined. Yet this 
was the way in which the Pharisees acted. They were determined 
not to acknowledge Jesus to be the Son of God. Whether he cast out 
devils, or raised the dead ; — whether his lips poured forth divine wis- 
dom, or his countenance beamed with celestial goodness, they had 
made up their minds they would not believe in him, and they would 
hinder the people also from believing. They would never renounce 
the high character they had obtained among men ; they would still 
persist in saying, " We see." What would be the punishment of such 
wickedness ? It would be this : the eyes they wilfully shut would be 
sealed up in sevenfold darkness. 

Those are in a dangerous state who refuse to think of religion ; but 
those are in a much more dangerous state w r ho have a form of religion, 
and call it true religion. They are the most bitter enemies to the 
truth. Careless sinners often have a kind of respect for devo- 
ted Christians, and express a wish that they resembled them; but 

38 



298 PARABLE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD. [JULY 5. 

those who put their trust in an outward show of piety, despise and hate 
real believers. While they wilfully close their eyes against the spirit- 
ual doctrines of Christ, they confidently assert that they see, and they 
alone. What will be the astonishment of Pharisees and hypocrites 
when their eyes are opened, and they behold in another world the be- 
lievers whom they despised seated with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 
around the throne of God ! Devils believe, and, in hell, wicked men 
believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Truths they would not under- 
stand in the land of gospel light, shall be clearly seen in the land of 
outer darkness, amid the fire that never shall be quenched. 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts XIII. 1-13. Elymas the sorcerer. 



John X. 1-6. — The parable of the good Shepherd. 

The Pharisees had understood the meaning of the Lord when he 
spoke of blindness, but they did not understand the parable of the 
good shepherd. Had they known that they were represented under 
the figure of thieves and robbers, how great would have been their in- 
dignation ! Yet such indeed they were, because they robbed God, for 
they destroyed the souls of his people by their false instructions. 
They loved to feed on the flesh, and to clothe themselves in the 
fleece of the sheep, but they cared not for the flock. They sought 
their own gain, and their own reputation, but not the glory of God. 

What is meant by their climbing over the wall into the sheepfold, 
instead of entering by the door ? The door represents Christ. The 
Pharisees did not come in by the door, for they did not believe in the 
Saviour. But who is the shepherd of the sheep ? How many little 
children could answer, " Jesus is the good Shepherd !" Some could 
say, "He is my shepherd." They know He is their shepherd, be- 
cause they love him. 

How did Jesus show he was the true shepherd ? By his manner of 
coming in to the fold, and by his manner of going out. He did not 
climb over the wall, as thieves and robbers do, but entered by the 
door, openly declaring that he was the Son of God. " To him the 
porter openeth." Does not the porter represent the prophets ? Christ 
was the Shiloh of whom Jacob had spoken nearly two thousand 
years before, and the Lamb of God to whom John the Baptist had 
lately pointed. 

He showed he was the Shepherd of the sheep by his manner of 
going out. He led his flock. He called them by their names, ac- 
cording to the custom of shepherds in the East ; when he called them, 
he went before them. None but the true shepherd could lead the 
sheep ; strangers would have been forced to drive them. It is very 



JULY 6.] CHRIST EXPLAINS THE PARABLE. 299 

interesting to behold an eastern shepherd going before his sheep and 
leading them to their pastures. His flock know the voice of their own 
shepherd, and would not obey the call of any other. 

Nathanael was one of the sheep of Christ. When Jesus saw him, 
he said, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile." 
Thus he showed he knew him. He was like a shepherd calling his 
sheep by its name. Did Nathanael hear the shepherd's voice ? Yes, 
he replied ; " Thou art the Son of God ; thou art the King of Israel." 
The man born blind was another of Christ's sheep. When the shep- 
herd said to him, "Dost thou believe, on the Son of God?" he soon 
replied, " Lord, I believe." Have we heard the voice of the shepherd, 
calling us to follow him to the green pastures ? None but his sheep 
hear that voice. They hear it sounding in the depths of their hearts, 
saying, " Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I 
will give you rest." They listen to the voice, and say to their own 
souls, " Return unto thy rest, O my soul." They feel safe while they 
follow their Shepherd. Each says to Him, " Cause me to know the 
way wherein I should walk." (Ps. cxhii. 8.) The poor helpless sheep 
cannot tell which is the path that leads to glory, but his shepherd can. 
After passing through some dark valley, the sheep says, " When my 
spirit was overwhelmed within thee, thou knewest my path." (Ps. 
cxlii. 8.) The further the sheep goes in the way, the more trust he 
feels in his shepherd ; and when he comes to the edge of the last val- 
ley he is able to say, " Though I pass through the valley of the shadow 
of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me ; thy rod and thy 
staff, they comfort me." We know what lies beyond that valley — 
Mount Zion. It is to that fair mountain the shepherd conducts his 
flock. 

But while other shepherds are of a different nature from the sheep 
they tend, the good shepherd has taken on him the nature of his flock. 
" The Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and 
shall lead them unto living fountains of waters." (Rev. vii. 17.) 
Having fed, and led them upon earth, he will feed and lead them in 
heaven. We shall never cease to require a shepherd's care. It is a 
delight to those who love Jesus to think that He will always be their 
shepherd and they his sheep. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. XXIII. XXIV. The good shepherd. 



John X. 7-13. — Christ explains the parable of the good shepherd. 

We are thankful to the Lord for having explained the parable of 
the good shepherd. Most parts of it can be interpreted with certainty, 
because they have been explained by the great Teacher. 



300 CHRIST EXPLAINS THE PARABLE. [jULY 6. 

Nothing can be plainer than the words, " / am the door of the sheep." 
Jesus is the gate of the fold. No man can come to the Father but by 
him. He is the way to God. He offered himself as an atonement for 
our sins, and by faith in that sacrifice we can be saved. There are 
other shepherds besides Christ, (for his ministers are his under-shep- 
herds,) but there is no door but him. 

What do these words signify : " All that ever came before me are 
thieves and robbers ?" Were the prophets thieves and robbers ? No ; 
the true prophets bore witness to Jesus ; they were his under-shep- 
herds ; they entered by the door and fed the flock. This is the prom- 
ise made to a faithful minister and to every true believer. " By me, 
if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find 
pasture." 

But though there are other shepherds besides Christ, there are none 
like him. None but Jesus could say, " I am come that they might 
have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." God only 
can bestow natural life, and He only can bestow spiritual life. How 
wonderful are the means by which he bestows it ! by laying down his 
own life. 

In order to describe what he came to do for his sheep, He enlarged 
his parable, and related a circumstance which often occurs in pastoral 
countries. 

" He that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep 
are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep and fleeth ; and 
the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep." 

The Pharisees are called by another name in this part of the para- 
ble. They had been compared to thieves, and to strangers, but now 
they are compared to hirelings. In what did they resemble hirelings ? 
In their want of love to the sheep. How did they betray their want 
of love ? By fleeing at the approach of danger. It is true they could 
not by dying save the sheep. Why then did they not seek the pro- 
tection of Him who could? This was their crime: they drove the 
sheep away from their only Saviour, their true shepherd. The Phari- 
sees had tried to drive the blind man away from him, but they had not 
been able : they had only driven him closer to his shepherd. 

Jesus cares for the sheep, and for every lamb in the flock. He 
found that poor blind man, and gathered him in his arms, and carried 
him in his bosom. For those who are just beginning to believe in 
Christ are weak like lambs, although they may have lived many years 
in the world. We have a shepherd who cares for his sheep. He 
knows that many of them have been scattered. There are persons at 
this moment who feel that they are sinners, and long for pardon, but 
no one has taught them to look to Jesus. The good shepherd knows 
where they are, and he says, " I will seek out my sheep, and I will 
deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the 
cloudy and dark day." (Ez. xxxiv. 12.) Has this Shepherd sought 
us, and found us ? Can any of us say, 



JULY 7.] CHRIST CONCLUDES HIS DISCOURSE. 301 

Jesus sought me when a stranger, 

Wandering from the fold of God ; 
He, to rescue me from danger, 

Interposed his precious blood? 

Evening Scripture portion. Jer. XXIII. 1-32. Careless pastors. 



John X. 14-21. — Christ concludes his discourse concerning the good 

shepherd. 

In the conclusion of our Lord's interpretation of his parable there is 
no allusion made to the Pharisees. The only subject dwelt upon is 
the Good Shepherd's love for his sheep. Those who love their Shep- 
herd must take particular delight in dwelling on this part of the Lord's 
discourse. 

When Jesus said, " I know my sheep," he meant to teach us that 
he knew them to be his sheep, and loved them with parental affection 
— yes, with more than a mother's tenderness. A woman may forget 
her babe, but Jesus says to his church, " I will not forget thee." And 
have the sheep any affection for their shepherd ? Yes, they return his 
love. If he knows their names, they know his voice ; if he leads them 
out, they follow him : " I know my sheep, and am known of mine." 

The Saviour makes use of a wonderful comparison to give us some 
idea of the intimate union that subsists between the good shepherd and 
his sheep. The sentence would be better understood if read thus : 
" I know my sheep, and am known of mine, even as the Father know- 
eth me, and as I know the Father," (ver. 14, 15.) What proof has 
the shepherd given of his love for his sheep ? The greatest that could 
be given : " I lay down my life for the sheep." 

When the Saviour spoke of his own death, what painful scenes must 
have risen before his view ! The agony in the garden, the insults in 
the judgment-hall, the ignominy on the cross. But with these painful 
thoughts there was associated an overwhelming joy — the thought of 
the numbers he should save by his sufferings. When he uttered these 
words, " Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold," what an in- 
numerable multitude of beloved children must have been present to 
his mind ! for even at that moment he knew them all by name. Those 
other sheep were the Gentiles : they were then heathens. Thousands 
were bowing down to idols, slaughtering their enemies, and revelling 
in sin ; — and millions were yet unborn ; yet the Saviour called them 
his sheep. He knew they would believe when they heard of his love. 
Did He think of us when he said, " Other sheep I have ?" for we are 
Gentiles. If we are now in his fold, if he is now our shepherd, — then 
we may be assured that he thought of us also,, when he said, " Other 
sheep I have ; them also I must bring." 



302 CHRIST AND THE FATHER ARE ONE. [JULY 8. 

After declaring bis ownlove for his sheep, He revealed the Father's 
love also. How much the Father must love the flock, if He loves the 
Son, because he died for them ! This is not the only reason of his 
love for his Son, but it is one reason. He does indeed love the flock ; 
He has proved it by a wonderful act. " The Father sent the Son to 
be the Saviour of the world." " Herein is love, not that we loved 
God, but that He loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation of 
our sins." (1 John iv.) 

The Son also loved us, and was willing to come : for it is written, 
" Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering, 
and a sacrifice to God." (Eph. v. 2.) 

Yet this Saviour, so full of love, was spoken of by his creatures in 
this awful manner. Some said, " He hath a devil, and is mad." How 
great was the patience of God, to suffer those to live a moment longer 
who had uttered such an expression ! It has been recorded in the 
Holy Scriptures, and will never be forgotten. 

But how many since this discourse was written have felt as they 
read it, " Truly this was the Son of God ! How precious are his 
words ! How sweet are his promises ! May the heavenly shepherd 
own me as his sheep at the last day !" 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts XXII. Paul sent to the Gentiles. 



John X. 22-30. — Christ declares that he and his Father are one. 

The feast of the dedication was not one of the three feasts ordained 
by God, but a feast instituted by man, to commemorate the purifica- 
tion of the temple after Antiochus Epiphanes, a heathen king, had 
defiled it by idols. This feast, however, was observed by Jesus ; 
hence we may conclude that he does not disapprove setting apart days 
for the remembrance of special mercies. 

As it was winter, the Lord taught in a part of the court of the tem- 
ple that was covered in and sheltered from the weather. His enemies 
came to him, pretending to desire to know the truth : "If thou be the 
Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus, however, knew their malicious design. 
He knew they sought to accuse him of blasphemy before the Sanhe- 
drim. The answer that he made was not that which they expected, 
for he told ihem first, not who he was, but what they were. He said, 
" Ye are not of my sheep." He did not tell them plainly that they 
were the thieves, the strangers, and the hirelings, described in the 
parable ; but he did tell them plainly, that they were not the sheep. 

Christ knows his own sheep ; the world cannot distinguish them 
from wolves in sheep's clothing, but it is enough, if their shepherd 
knows they belong to Him. However the flock may be scattered, not 



JULY 9.] THE JEWS ATTEMPT TO STONE CHRIST. 303 

one of them shall ever be lost. Jesus knew that great efforts would 
be made to steal, and kill, and destroy them, but that all these efforts 
would be vain. He promised, " They shall never perish, neither shall 
any man pluck them out of my hand." The Pharisees had sought to 
pluck the poor man, born blind, out of his shepherd's hand : to argu- 
ments and threatenings they had added insults and injuries ; but he 
had refused to hear their voice, or to follow them. 

Do we belong to the little flock ? then Satan will seek to pluck us 
out of the Saviour's hand. We know not in what manner he will seek 
to separate us from our shepherd, for Satan has many devices. In 
the histories of the saints recorded in the word of God, we find in- 
stances of his temptations. Satan attempted to induce Job to forsake 
his shepherd by severe afflictions : he endeavored to drive away Peter 
by the fear of man, and to allure Moses by the riches of Egypt ; but 
he never succeeded in plucking one sheep out of the shepherd's hands, 
— and he never will. In the last prayer Jesus offered up in the pres- 
ence of his disciples, He said of them, " These that thou gavest me I 
have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition." Judas 
was not one of Christ's sheep ; if he had been one of them, he could 
not have been destroyed by Satan's power. 

And why can neither man nor angel destroy one of the sheep ? Be- 
cause their shepherd is God. Jesus is the shepherd, and the Father 
is the shepherd, and yet there is one shepherd ; for Jesus said, " I and 
my Father are one." The shepherd who gave his life for the sheep is 
He whom Israel worshipped in days of old, saying, "It is He that 
hath made us, and not we ourselves ; we are his people, and the sheep 
of his pasture." 

The glorious Creator is that tender shepherd who carries the lambs 
in his arms, and gathers them in his bosom. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. LXXX. The Shepherd of Israel. 



John X. 31 to end. — The Jews attempt to stone Christ for saying he 
was the Son of God. 

What meekness our Saviour showed when the wicked Jews took 
up stones to stone him ! How touching was his appeal : " Many good 
works have I shown you from my Father ; for which of these works 
do ye stone me ?" He might make the same appeal to us now. When 
we neglect, forsake, and disobey Him, he might say to us, "I have 
bestowed on you many gifts, — I have made you many promises ; — I 
have passed over many transgressions : for which of these acts of 
kindness do you thus treat me?" What could we reply? Should 



304 THE JEWS ATTEMPT TO STONE CHRIST. [JULY 9. 

we not be obliged to own that we were ungrateful, hard-hearted 
creatures ? 

But Jesus, by his affecting speech, did not soften his enemies, and 
He next used powerful arguments. He alluded to a passage in the 
82d Psalm, in which God speaks to the kings and rulers of the earth 
under the' name of gods. " I have said, Ye are gods." And why did 
he give them this name? Because both kings and priests were 
anointed, and thus made types of Christ, who is the Anointed. The 
word Christ means " anointed." These earthly princes were placed in 
authority, and thus also made types of the Son of God, to whom all 
power is committed. Therefore God spoke to them in these words : 
" I have said, Ye are gods, and all of you are children of the Most 
High ;" but because they abused their authority by oppressing the 
poor, these words were added, " Ye shall die like men, and fall like 
one of the princes." 

These kings, rulers, and priests, were only types and shadows of the 
Son of God, who is alone worthy to possess all rule, authority, and 
power. Now the argument Jesus used with the Jews was this : "If 
those who only shadowed forth my greatness, were called gods, how 
much more must I be the Son of God?" Christ called himself one 
whom the Father had sanctified, and sent into the world. By "sanc- 
tified," he meant " set apart" for the office of priest and king. The 
Father appointed him to be our priest and king before the foundation 
of the world, and in the fulness of time he sent him forth. " Thanks 
be unto God for his unspeakable gift !" 

But no arguments could convince the Jews that Jesus was the true 
Messiah, because their hearts were set against him ; therefore he went 
into a retired place beyond the river Jordan, where John had baptized 
long before his imprisonment. 

This spot must have been very interesting to some of the disciples ; 
for it was there that two of them had first beheld the Lamb of God, 
and had followed him to his own abode. (See John i. 28.) The chil- 
dren of God love the place where first their hearts were opened to re- 
ceive the truth. 

How refreshing the season passed in this retreat must have been to 
the Saviour's wearied frame and harassed spirit ! He had the joy of 
bringing some souls into his fold ; for it is written, " Many believed in 
him there." The preaching of John had prepared the way for the 
reception of Christ. After ministers are dead, their past labors are 
often blessed ; and they are joined in the world above by souls born 
again through their word after their own decease. 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Ps. LXXXI. LXXXIL Great men addressed as gods. 



JULY 10.] THOSE WHO SHALL BE SHUT OUT. 305 



Luke XIII. 23-30. — Christ describes the misery of those who shall 
be shut out of His kingdom. 

Those who lived when the Lord was upon earth enjoyed the great 
privilege of asking him questions. Who would not wish to share it ! 
It was one, however, that might easily be abused. Many asked the 
Lord unprofitable and curious questions. This inquiry, u Are there 
few that shall be saved?" seems to have been made by one who was 
not earnest in seeking to be saved himself For the Lord, instead of 
replying to the question, addresses an exhortation to his hearers : 
" Strive to enter in at the strait (or narrow) gate ; for many, I say unto 
you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." But did not the 
Lord once say, " Every one that seeketh findeth ?" This promise 
applies only to the present time ; there is a period when none who 
seek will find. The Lord described that period in a parable : " When 
once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, 
and ye begin to stand without and to knock, saying, ' Lord, Lord, 
open to us.' " 

That period has not yet arrived : the door stands open, the master 
invites, entreats, implores us to enter, and to partake of his glorious 
feast. But if we disregard his entreaties, he will suddenly shut to the 
door, and shut us out forever. Those outside will use arguments to 
induce the Lord to open the door. Some, who have been his com- 
panions upon earth, will say, " We' have eaten and drunk in thy pres- 
ence ;" and some, who have listened to his discourses in their own 
cities, will say, " Thou hast taught in our streets." If we die in our 
sins, it will be of no use for us to say at the last day, " We have lived 
with holy people ; we have been instructed by holy ministers." 

There are two circumstances that will increase the anguish of those 
Jews who will be shut out of the kingdom of God. They will see 
their own forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their own pro- 
phets, sitting down at the heavenly feast. It will seem -hard to them 
not to be admitted into the presence of their own kindred. And will 
it not seem hard to many other ungodly persons, when they behold a 
father, or mother, a brother, or sister, sitting down at the supper of the 
Lamb, and they themselves thrust out ! On earth they were ever wel- 
come at their father's table, but even a pious father will have no power 
to gain admission for an unconverted child into Christ's presence. 

Another circumstance that will aggravate the disappointment of the 
unbelieving Jews, will be this, — they will see Gentiles whom they 
despised, flocking from the east and west, the north and south, into the 
new Jerusalem, while they are forbidden to enter. And will it not 
increase the disappointment of those who live in this Christian land, 
if they should see those who we. e brought up in heathen countries, 
saved, when they are lost ? 

When we were little we were taught to pray to God ; we heard of 

39 



306 CHRIST REPLIES TO HEROD'S THREATENING. [jULY 1 1 . 

heaven and hell ; we lisped the name of Jesus, as soon as we could 
speak. There are many in distant lands who were taught in thei*- 
childhood to bow to frightful idols, and to delight in deeds of cruelty ; 
yet some of these have turned to God, and will go to heaven ; and 
what if we should not go there ! Then, the last would be the first, and 
the first last. May God of his infinite mercy save us from the great 
guilt of rejecting his gospel ! 

Evening Scripture portion. Rev. XXI. Everlasting joy and misery. 



Luke XIII. 31 to end. — Christ replies to Herod's threatening. 

The Saviour showed his abhorrence of Herod's character by the 
name which he gave him, " a fox." The manner in which Herod had 
treated John the Baptist, rendered him deserving of the name of fox. 
He had once listened to his preaching, and shown him respect ; but 
had afterwards imprisoned and basely murdered him. The different 
natures that God has bestowed upon the animals are intended to 
represent the various characters of men. The children of Satan 
resemble wolves, bears, and foxes, and all manner of voracious birds 
and loathsome reptiles ; while the children of God are like the gentle 
sheep and the harmless dove. 

But the threats of Herod did not alarm the Lord. Though the 
Pharisees said, " Herod will kill thee," yet He who knew all things, 
knew the tyrant would not kill him. And why not ? Because that 
hour was not the time, nor that spot the place of his death. The Sa- 
viour knew when He should die. He prophesied that He should live 
a few days, that is, a short time longer, and on the third day be per- 
fected, or rendered complete. In this mysterious language, He 
alluded to his death : by death He was perfected, or rendered com- 
plete as an atoning priest. In death He offered that sacrifice which 
atoned for the sins of his people, and with that sacrifice He appeared 
in the presence of God for us. Jesus knew where He would die. He 
said, " It cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem." He did 
not mean to say, that no prophet had perished elsewhere, but that 
most prophets had been slain in that wicked city. Did the prospect 
of his death, with all its attendant horrors, excite angry feelings in his 
breast? Instead of expressing anger, He burst forth into the most 
tender lamentations over the city of his murderers. How touching are 
the words : " How often would I have gathered thy children together, 
as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not !" 

In the Old Testament the Lord compared himself to an eagle, bear- 
ing her eaglets on her wings to a place of safety. But in this place 



JULY 12.] CHRIST REPROVES THE AMBITIOUS GUESTS. 307 

He compares himself to a hen seeking to guard her little ones beneath 
her wings, from the birds of prey hovering in the air. How suitable 
are both these comparisons ! When Israel was in Egypt, God deliv- 
ered him from his enemies with the strength of an eagle, by carrying 
him into Canaan. But when Israel was in the promised land, He 
promised to guard him with the fond care of a hen, from the enemies 
that threatened to devour him. When we are in trouble, God is like 
an eagle in delivering us ; and when we have been delivered, He is 
like a hen in keeping us from evil. How many blessings we possess 
at the present moment ! But there are many dangers on every side. 
If we take shelter beneath the wings of our God, no evil shall over- 
take ns. But if we refuse to come to Him who calls us, then 
we shall fall a prey to our enemies. Satan and all his angels are like 
birds of prey hovering in the air, longing to devour us. But Jesus 
will preserve his people from their malice. We live in a world full of 
trouble and temptation, but there is a refuge for us. Here is a prayer 
for a soul that feels its own helplessness, and dreads the power of its 
enemies : " Be merciful unto me, God, be merciful unto me ; for 
my soul trusteth in thee ; yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make 
my refuge, until these calamities be overpast." (Ps. lvii. 1.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Deut. XXXII. 1-29. The song of Moses near Mount Nebo. 



Luke XIV. 1-11. — Jesus Christ reproves the ambitious guests. 

The account of the healing of the man with the dropsy reminds us 
of the healing of the man with the withered hand. It was on the Sab- 
bath-day that Jesus performed both these miracles : but the places in 
which He wrought them were not the same. The withered hand was 
healed in a synagogue ; the dropsy was cured in a Pharisee's house. 
On both occasions many of the Lord's bitter enemies were present. 
But no circumstances could restrain the compassionate Saviour from 
showing mercy to his suffering creatures. Neither did the displeasure 
He excited by healing the man with the dropsy prevent Him from re- 
proving the proud behavior of the company. 

In the East, it is still the custom for guests to occupy seats that 
mark their degree of rank. Each person, as he enters, seats himself 
in the place that he thinks he is entitled to fill, and often he takes a 
higher place than the company consider to be his due. But the master 
of the feast has the power to desire him to move either to a higher or 
lower place. The Pharisees showed a great anxiety to occupy the 
most honorable seats. Our Lord openly censured their conduct, and 
alluded to one of Solomon's proverbs, (xxv. 6,) an authority that they 
professed to revere. There it is written, " Put not forth thyself in the 



308 CHRIST ADVISES HIS HOST TO INVITE THE POOR. [JULY 13. 

presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men ; for 
better is it that it should be said unto thee, Come up hither, than that 
thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine 
eyes have seen." 

Jesus exposed the folly of the Pharisees' conduct. It is foolish, as 
well as sinful to exalt ourselves. Some worldly people put on the 
appearance of humility, in order to attract notice and admiration. But 
the true Christian desires not only to appear, but to be humble. After 
having lain low at the foot of the cross, can he go forth desiring to be 
admired in society ? 

What are our feelings in company ? Are we highly elated when 
noticed, and deeply mortified when overlooked? Do we love to be 
first ? Do we envy those who are more regarded than ourselves ? 
This was the spirit of the Pharisees. It is not the spirit of Christ. 
There are many persons who do not openly contend for places of 
honor, who are secretly thirsting for admiration. The children of God 
do not indulge this feeling, but strive and pray against it. The rule of 
their conduct is, " Be kindly affectioned one to another, with brotherly 
love, in honor preferring one another." (Rom. xii. 10.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Prov. XXV. Counsel respecting behavior in society. 



Luke XIV. 12-14. — Christ advises his host to invite the poor. 

With what faithfulness the Lord acted towards the Pharisee who 
had invited him to his house ! It appears that the entertainment was 
splendid, and the guests rich and honorable. But it was not such a 
feast as the Lord approved. He knew the motives which led the rich 
Pharisees to invite their neighbors : it was the hope that they should 
be invited again. This was a selfish and sordid motive. In the East, 
when an animal was killed, it was necessary to eat it immediately. 
The covetous invited none to partake of their dinner who would not be 
able to return the favor ; but the charitable often called in the poor and 
afflicted, or sent portions to their dwellings. Job appealed to God, 
saying, " If I have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless 
hath not eaten thereof." And Nehemiah on a day of rejoicing said to 
the people of Israel, " Go your way, eat the fat and drink the sweet, 
and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared." In this 
country, many benevolent persons, instead of giving feasts to the poor, 
contrive other means of giving them relief and pleasure. It is the 
spirit and not the very letter of the counsel that ought to be followed. 
But some may inquire, Is it w r rong to invite our friends and kindred 
o a feast ? We know that in every part of Scripture the joyful meet- 
ings of brethren and neighbors are spoken of .without censure. 



JULY 13.] CHRIST ADVISES HIS HOST TO INVITE THE POOR. 309 

But no feasts impart so much happiness as those given to the poor. 
Rich guests often come with reluctance, and depart without thankful- 
ness. But the poor assemble with delight around the well-spread 
board, and go away blessing the bountiful hand that spread it. They 
enjoy but few pleasures, and they meet with but little kindness. It is 
in the power of the rich to cast a beam of light across their dark path, 
and to make them for a short season to forget their sorrows. To invite 
the poor is pleasing to the Lord. Among those gathered from streets, 
and lanes, and highways, and hedges, there may be a Lazarus whom 
we shall meet again at the heavenly banquet. It will be pleasant 
when we meet to feel that we honored him upon earth as the saint of 
the Lord. There are no doubt wicked persons "to be found among the 
poor : but the kindness of the rich often opens their hearts to receive 
instruction. There are pious rich persons who devise means to render 
the feasts they give profitable to the souls of their poor guests, as well 
as refreshing to their bodies. That venerable reformer and martyr, 
Hooper, while he was bishop of Gloucester, entertained a certain num- 
ber of the poor every day with a dinner of whole and wholesome 
meats in his great hall ; but first he examined them in the creed, the 
Lord's prayer, and the ten commandments ; nor would he himself sit 
down to table till his poor guests had been served. 

How rejoiced we ought to be at every discovery of the will of God ! 
If the world in general valued his approbation, there would not be so 
many entertainments as there now are given to the rich, and there 
would be many more given to the poor. Those words, " Thou shalt 
be blessed," sound very sweetly in the ear of a true disciple of Christ. 
This is what he desires : " to be blessed." Because the poor cannot 
recompense him for the kindness he shows them, the Lord will re- 
member it : even as a father takes upon himself to reward every ser- 
vice rendered to his infant children. 

Let us beware of thinking that any thing we can do deserves a re- 
ward. No, that is impossible. When we have done ajl, we have 
done only what it was our duty to do. The excellent bishop, of whom 
we have just spoken, though he had given his goods to feed the poor, 
and though at length he gave his body to be burned, was so far from 
trusting in his good deeds for salvation, that, when brought to the 
stake, he was heard to pray thus : " Lord, I am hell, but thou art 
heaven ; I am a sink of sin, but thou art a gracious God, and a merci- 
ful Redeemer." 

It will be easy for God to recompense his children for all they have 
done for him upon earth. One glimpse of his countenance will more 
than compensate for the martyr's acutest pangs. But how shall his 
saints recompense Him for what He has done for them ? He found 
them poor, and blind, and miserable, and fed them with heavenly bread, 
even with that living bread which came down from heaven. It is this 
thought that makes them so anxious to please Him. 

Evening Scripture portion. Deut. XXVI. Kindness to the poor. 



310 PARABLE OF THE GREAT SUPPER [jULY 14 



Luke XIV. 15-24. — The parable of the great supper. 

Our Lord concluded his conversation at the Pharisee's house by a 
parable. He had said that those who invited the poor to their houses 
should be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. This declara- 
tion induced one of the guests to exclaim, " Blessed is he that shall 
eat bread in the kingdom of God." Then Jesus related a parable to 
show how unwilling the rich men were to come to the heavenly feast. 
This parable was exactly suited to the company present, and was in- 
tended as a warning to the Pharisees, and to all worldly-minded per- 
sons, whether rich or poor. 

The man in the parable invited his rich neighbors to a feast. It is 
the custom in the East to send an invitation some weeks before the 
time appointed, and when the day arrives, to desire the servants to re- 
mind the guests of their engagement. Nothing can be more insulting 
than to refuse to come after the feast has been prepared, excepting 
there be some realhinderance. The excuses made by these rich men 
were of a frivolous nature. Neither sickness nor the death of friends 
detained them at home. They could not have foreseen those events ; 
but it showed great contempt to purchase land or oxen, or to contract 
a marriage at the time they had agreed to come to the feast. It would 
have been far better to have refused at first, than to accept the invita- 
tion, and then to make excuses, when the feast was prepared and the 
master was waiting. 

Like the rich men in the parable, the Pharisees professed to be 
willing to come to God ; but when the blessings of the Gospel were 
offered to their acceptance, they began to make excuses. They were 
hypocrites, because they pretended to be religious, while their hearts 
were set upon this world. Would the insulted master of the feast 
permit his plenteous provisions to be wasted, or his table to remain 
unoccupied ? By no means. He sent his servants into the streets 
and lanes of the city, and directed them to summon the poor, the 
maimed, the lame, and the blind. Thus, when the self-righteous 
Pharisees refused to listen to the Gospel, the Lord encouraged publi- 
cans to accept its blessings. 

Afterwards the master of the feast sent his servants into the high- 
ways and hedges, to gather more guests for the feast. Who are the 
wanderers in the streets and lanes of the city, and who are those in 
the highways and hedges 1 Do not the former represent the Jews, 
and the latter the Gentiles ? For the Gospel was first preached at 
Jerusalem, but afterwards among the Gentile nations, even among us 
who live in these northern isles. What were our forefathers doing 
when Jesus uttered his parable ? They were worshipping frightful 
idols among their forests of oak. But even then the Lord had pur- 
poses of mercy towards those poor savages. 



JULY 15.] CHRISTIANS MUST ENCOUNTER GREAT DIFFICULTIES. 311 

But why did the master declare that none of those men who first 
were bidden should taste of his supper ? Had they not refused to 
come ? What need was there to affirm that they should not come ? 
Do not the words seem to indicate, that a time would arrive when 
those who had made excuses would repent of their folly, and seek to 
be admitted to the feast ? When they saw the poor wanderers from 
the city and the country, clothed in white robes, surrounding a sump- 
tuous table, — when they descried the splendid lights, and heard the 
joyful sound of music and singing, they would change their minds, 
and desire to join the glorious company. But they would find the 
door shut against them. When they knocked, they would hear a voice 
within, saying, " I know you not." They would not be permitted even 
to taste the supper, of which they had once been invited to partake. 

And is there any despiser of Christ and his Gospel who will not 
change his mind when he beholds, afar off, the glories of the blessed, 
in the kingdom of God ? Yes, when all his earthly delights are per- 
ished, he will wish for a place at the heavenly banquet. But he will 
find that no place is reserved for him among the happy guests. what 
will then be the bitterness of his disappointment, and the agony of his 
regrets ! Let us now obey the Saviour's gracious call, " Come, eat of 
my bread and drink of my wine, which I have mingled. Forsake the 
foolish, and live, and go in the way of understanding." 

Evening Scripture portion. Prov. IX. Wisdom's Invitation. 



Luke XIV. 25 to end. — Christ declares to the multitude that his dis- 
ciples must encounter great difficulties. 

As the Lord Jesus knew all hearts, he could perfectly adapt his dis- 
course to the state of mind of his hearers. We have lately listened 
to his conversation at a Pharisee's table, and heard his alarming warn- 
ings to those who despised his Gospel. Now we behold him sm> 
rounded by a different class of hearers. 

The multitudes did not openly despise the Saviour, they admired 
him, and many of them wished to become his disciples ; but they were 
not prepared to encounter difficulties, or to make sacrifices for his 
sake. Therefore the Saviour, turning towards them, set before their 
eyes the great trials which his disciples must expect to suffer. Parents 
and kindred would persecute them, and rulers would condemn them to 
death. How ought they to act when placed in these distressing cir- 
cumstances ? None can suppose that Jesus disapproves of natural 
affection ; the meaning of his declaration is, " Those who would fol- 
low me must not yield to the persuasions of their dearest friends, or to 
the threatenings of the most cruel tyrants, but must be ready to for- 



312 PARABLE OF THE LOST SHEEP. [JULY 16. 

sake all, and to cleave to me alone." In our days, converted Jews and 
converted Brahmins have resisted the tenderest entreaties of affec- 
tionate mothers and devoted wives, who would have turned them from 
the faith. And even in our Christian land, there are many instances 
of children who have endured much unkindness from their own 
parents, rather than comply with the vain customs of the world. 

The Lord Jesus related two short parables to show the folly of set- 
ting out in the Christian course, without being prepared to surmount 
difficulties. 

If a man would build a tower, he must first consider whether he has 
money sufficient to complete the building ; and if a captain would 
meet an enemy, he must first consider whether he has soldiers enough 
to resist him. It would be better not to begin the tower, than to leave 
it unfinished, — and not to undertake the war, than to suffer a defeat. 

It would also be better not to profess to follow Christ, than to turn 
back after having set out. It would be better, — if we can talk of bet- 
ter in such a case. For he who does not set out at some time or 
other in the Christian course, must endure everlasting misery. It 
will be a poor consolation for him to think that his case would have 
been still worse, had he turned back after having known the way of 
righteousness. 

Christ never discouraged a sincere soul from following him. But 
he has given a true description of the nature of his service, so that 
none can say in the end, " My Lord deceived me, and represented his 
service to be easier than I have found it." A poor Madagascar woman, 
who had undergone great persecutions, was once asked whether she 
was surprised when afflictions overtook her. She replied, " No ; from 
the first we knew it was written, that through much tribulation we 
must enter the kingdom of God ; and when our troubles came, we 
said, ' This is what we expected.' " This poor woman was once shut 
up, for five months, in an iron case that prevented her moving a single 
limb ; yet, having counted the cost, she proved more than conqueror 
through Him who loved her.* 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Thess. III. Afflictions must be expected. 



Luke XV. 1-10. — Parables of the lost sheep, and of the lost piece of 

silver. 

There is a tenderness in these parables which is not to be found in 
the discourses we have lately read. When the Saviour was at the 
Pharisee's house, he faithfully reproved both the guests and the host ; 

* See " Madagascar and its Martyrs," a book for the young. 



JULY 16.] PARABLE OF THE LOST SHEEP. 313 

when he was surrounded by the multitude, he solemnly warned them ; 
but when he sat in the midst of publicans and sinners, he uttered the 
most touching and encouraging words. The Pharisees showed the 
pride of their hearts, by murmuring because Jesus received sinners 
into his intimate society. The Lord answered their murmurings by 
relating several parables. He knew their covetous disposition, and that 
they would understand the joy of finding a lost sheep, or a lost piece 
of money, though their hearts were too hard to enable them to under- 
stand the joy felt by angels at the salvation of a sinner. 

Even penitent sinners themselves can hardly believe that angels 
should care for them. How many penitents have read with astonish- 
ment that there is joy among the angels of God over one sinner that 
repenteth ! Could we have conceived that the recovery of one of our 
fallen race should interest those glorious beings ? Why do they care 
so much for us ? The Son of God, whom they adore, loved us and 
died for us. They know that He cares for each wanderer, and that 
He rejoices over each soul that he brings back to his fold. The angels 
share in the joy of their beloved Lord. They felt with him in his sor- 
rows, and one of them strengthened him in the garden of Gethsemane. 
They partake also in his joys ; they delight to see the fruit of the tra- 
vail of his soul. But their joy cannot be compared with His. He is 
an infinite being, therefore his love and joy are infinite. 

And if the repentance of one sinner causes so much joy, what will 
be felt on account of the salvation of all the Church of God ! The 
mind is overwhelmed at the thought of the boundless raptures of that 
day. Many joyful emotions have been felt since first the foundation 
of the earth was laid ; the birds have rejoiced at every return of spring ; 
children have smiled each opening morn ; the saints have tasted higher 
delights in their sacred assemblies ; and angels have made the heavens 
ring with their rapturous songs ; but all these joys are as a drop com- 
pared to the ocean of delight that the glorious company of heaven shall 
feel, when all the redeemed are gathered together into the celestial city. 

Are we prepared to taste these joys ? Do we now feel any satisfac- 
tion when we hear that a sinner has repented ? We might discover 
our own state in the sight of God by this token : what are the events 
that occasion us most joy ? If we are saved hereafter, we shall be the 
companions of angels. But if our hearts are not interested in the sal- 
vation of sinners, shall we be fit company for them ? What a contrast 
there is between a selfish human creature and a benevolent angel ! 

How delightful it will be, in ages to come, if we are numbered 
among the saints, to see the angels who rejoiced over our conversion ! 
They will not forget the happiness they experienced on such occasions, 
and they will feel their joy complete when they see the pardoned sin- 
ner, saved from all his enemies, comforted after all his sorrows, and 
enclosed in the everlasting arms of his Almighty Saviour. 

Evening Scripture portion. Rev. VII. Songs of saints and angels. 

40 



314 DEPARTURE OF THE PRODIGAL SON. [JULY 17. 



Luke XV. 11-16. — The departure of the prodigal son. 

Though the Pharisees were hard-hearted men, yet they possessed 
the feelings of parents. The parable of the prodigal son was suited 
to touch every father's heart. But even if the proud Pharisees listened 
unmoved to the Saviour's representation of the father's generous com- 
passion, the poor publicans must have heard the wonderful history 
with grateful astonishment. When the Lord described the conduct 
of the younger son, they were reminded of their own base departure 
from God. The Pharisees also had wandered far from their Father's 
house ; but they knew it not. They imagined that, like the elder son 
in the parable, they had always been faithful and obedient. Many 
persons entertain the same false notion of their own goodness, and for- 
get that it is written, " All we like sheep have gone astray." 

Every penitent sinner sees his own likeness in the prodigal son. 
The most striking feature in his character is his ingratitude. Instead 
of being thankful for his daily bread, and his shelter beneath his father's 
roof, and for all the comforts and privileges he enjoyed, he claims for- 
tune as his right, saying, " Give me the portion of goods that falleth to 
me." This is our spirit by nature. Instead of being overwhelmed 
with a sense of God's wonderful goodness, we conceive ourselves en- 
titled to further gifts. 

When the prodigal had obtained his desire, he showed his ingrati- 
tude by going into a country a great way off, and there wasting his 
father's gifts in riotous living. And have we not acted like this prodi- 
gal ? We need not move from the spot where we were born in order 
to do this : it is sufficient that shutting up our hearts from God, and 
banishing him from our thoughts, we seek our gratification in earthly 
things. 

But behold the consequence of this conduct ; the prodigal comes to 
poverty. He has at last spent all. It is well when we discover 
before death that we have spent all — that we have wasted our hopes 
and affections upon the world, and have obtained no lasting satisfaction 
in return. But what will be the despair of those who never discover 
their poverty, until they are removed to the place where the uttermost 
farthing is required, but not even a drop of water granted ! 

Perhaps the prodigal in his days of revelry may have looked for- 
ward to the time when he should have spent all, and he may have in- 
tended then to enter some service that would preserve him from want. 
But God defeated his design, and caused a mighty famine to arise at 
the very moment when he was destitute. Now there were few mas- 
ters who could afford to hire, and many servants to be hired, so that 
the prodigal was forced to engage in the meanest service at the lowest 
wages ; he became a swineherd for a less reward than would provide 
him with a meal of husks, such as the pigs fed upon. 

How easily God can disappoint the sinner, and blast all his devices ! 



JULY 18.] THE REPENTANCE OF THE PRODIGAL. 315 

Many think, " When this enjoyment is passed, I will betake myself to 
another," forgetting how God can in a moment take away every idol, 
shut up every way of escape, and dry up every stream of lappiness. 

The thoughtless companions of his mirth remembered not the prod- 
igal in his distress. " No one gave unto him." Those who had 
gladly partaken of his riotous feasts, forsook him in his poverty and 
hunger. Accomplices in guilt are not comforters in sorrow. For 
what unfeeling creatures the prodigal had forsaken his loving father, 
and his happy home ! O the folly and the madness that sinners show 
in preferring the society of the wicked to the favor of the ever-blessed 
God ! Can the world console them in sickness ? Will the world be 
faithful to them in old age ? Can the world receive them into glory 
after death ? Happy are they who have made this blessed choice, 
" I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God, than to dwell 
in the tents of wickedness." 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Psalm LXXXIV. The happiness of dwelling in God's house. 



Luke XV. 17-19. — Tlie repentance of the prodigal. 

God greatly blessed the prodigal's afflictions to his soul. While he 
was employed as a swineherd a great change took place in his mind — 
" He came to himself." This expression implies, that before he was 
not himself. A state of sin is a state of madness. When a person is 
converted he is in his right mind. How could any one indulge in sin, 
if he reflected on its awful consequences ! "for the wages of sin is 
death /" But sinners are like the brutes that perish, and do not consi- 
der their latter end. 

It is very interesting to hear the reflections of the prodigal when he 
was come to himself. He saw every thing now in a new light. He 
understood the happiness of his father's house. Once he had abhorred 
its restraints and longed for liberty, but now he esteemed each servant 
happy who dwelt beneath that peaceful roof. Unconverted persons 
think religion gloomy, and endeavor to escape from its influence ; but 
when the Holy Spirit visits their hearts, they account the servants of 
God blessed, and long to be numbered among the saints. 

The prodigal now felt convinced of his guilt. He not only lamented 
his miserable condition, but he traced it to his own sin ; he blamed no 
one but himself. Thus the Spirit convinces of sin, and makes us feel 
that we have sinned against God, more than against any other being, 
because He is the greatest and best of beings, and our chief benefactor. 

The prodigal felt confidence in his father's mercy. Though he felt 
unworthy to be called a son, yet he resolved to say "Father." Had 



316 THE PRODIGAL'S RECEPTION. [JULY 19. 

he not felt this confidence, he might have been devoured by remorse, 
and have deemed it useless to return. Doubtless his memory fur- 
nished him with numerous instances of his father's love, of his readi- 
ness to forgive his early waywardness, and of his patient endurance 
of the provocations of his youth. He had enjoyed opportunities of 
knowing his father's character, and it now appeared to him in all its 
loveliness. Happy is it when the convinced sinner can hope in God's 
mercy. No child ever had such reason to believe that his father 
would receive him, as the chief of sinners has that God will in nowise 
cast him out ; for God has so loved us, as to give his only Son a sac- 
rifice for us ; and He that spared not his own Son, will he not with 
him also freely give us all things ? 

The prodigal made a resolution to return, and openly to confess his 
sins, to entreat forgiveness, and to implore permission to become a 
servant, though not a son, in his father's house. 

Have we ever made the resolution to return to God ? Can we re- 
call the time when we felt we had wandered from the best of fathers, 
and that we deserved to be rejected ? Every true believer has repent- 
ed of his sins, and has sought forgiveness with weeping and supplica- 
tions. Nor does he ever cease to seek it while he lives upon earth. 
The sense of his own sinfulness increases, as he experiences more of 
his Father's goodness. Daily he says, " Forgive me my trespasses," 
and daily he feels that he is not worthy to be called a son. 

Evening Scripture portion. Jer. XXXI. 1-21. Repentance. 



Luke XV. 20-24. — The reception of the prodigal son. 

The prodigal had conceived a high idea of his father's compassion 
before he set out to return home ; but his thoughts had not reached 
the heights of his father's mercy. He could not have anticipated such 
a reception, at once so affectionate and so honorable. Had he returned 
as the deliverer of his country from some powerful foe, he could not 
have been welcomed with more honor. Had he left his home to plead 
for his father's life, he could not, when he was come back, have been 
received with more tenderness. 

What is the reason that the sinner is treated with so much honor 
and so much love, when he falls at the footstool of divine mercy? Is 
he not received in his Saviour's name, with all the honor that Saviour 
won by trampling upon Satan, and with all the love that Saviour de- 
served for dying upon the cross ? 

Great must have been the humiliation of the prodigal, as he ap- 
proached the parental roof. How it must have wounded the natural 
pride of his heart to return in tatters, with an emaciated countenance 



JULY 20.] ENVY OF THE PRODIGAL'S BROTHER, 31? 

and a haggard eye ! But when true penitence is felt, natural pride is 
in great measure subdued. Those who only feel a slight regret for 
past transgressions, are often prevented by pride from asking forgive- 
ness. No doubt the prodigal had wished to return as soon as he be- 
came a swineherd ; but it was not till " he came to himself," that his 
penitence was deep enough to enable him to face all the humiliation 
connected with the step. Then he felt he could bear the taunts of un- 
feeling spectators better than the reproaches of his own conscience — 
better than the remembrance of his despised home, and of his injured 
father. But he was spared the most painful part of the expected trial 
by the tender affection of that father, who " saw him when he was a 
great way off, and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck, and 
kissed him." Did the prodigal repress his humble confession because 
he saw he was already forgiven ? No, he said all that he had pur- 
posed to say, excepting, " Make me as one of thy hired servants." 
When he saw that he was received as a son, he could not ask to be- 
come a servant. The best robe was then put on him, a ring on his 
hand, and shoes on his feet ; a feast was made, and rejoicing was 
heard on every side. 

Could the prodigal doubt his father's full and free forgiveness ? All 
his past transgressions seemed to be forgotten ; his father's love was 
not abated in the least degree ; a prospect of happiness was opened to 
his view beyond his highest expectations. 

This is the way in which the Lord deals with the returning sinner. 
He clothes his guilty soul in the spotless robe of his Redeemer's 
righteousness, and satisfies his hungry soul with the heavenly food of 
his gracious promises. Why then do sinners refuse to return to God ? 
They do not believe that He will receive them so affectionately, and 
render them so happy. The father of the prodigal is our God and our 
Saviour. Those who have sought his mercy can witness how He re- 
ceived them, and how happy He has made them. 

It is sad to think that any should remain miserable, because they 
will not arise and return to Him, who offers, them full and free forgive- 
ness. The way may appear long ; but it would be shortened, for 
their Father would meet them while they were yet a "great way off" 
and conduct them himself to his own glorious abode. 

Evening Scripture portion. Gen. XL V. Joseph makes himself known to his brethren. 



Luke XV. 25 to end. — The envy of the prodigal 1 s brother. 

Amidst the burst of joy at the prodigal's return one complaining 
voice was heard ; among the glad countenances one lowering brow 
was seen ; and that voice and that brow were a brother's. But the 



318 ENVY OF THE PRODIGAL'S BROTHER. [JULY 20. 

father showed as much forbearance towards his envious eldest son, as 
he had manifested compassion towards his prodigal younger son. He 
went out, and entreated this unfeeling brother to unite in the festal 
scene. These entreaties drew forth the pride that reigned in his son's 
heart. Pride is the root of a whole host of sins, especially of envy, 
anger, and discontent : all these evil passions gave their coloring to 
the answers of the eldest son. What a description he gives of his 
blameless conduct ! He reproaches his father with his services, as if 
he had laid his own parent under obligations : " Lo, these many years 
have I served thee !" He declares those services were perfect, as 
well as persevering. " Neither transgressed I at any time thy com- 
mandment." 

While he thus boasts of his own goodness, he places his brother's 
conduct in the worst point of view. The father might have turned 
away in wrath from his ungenerous son, but he condescended to argue 
with the proud objector. In a few words he describes the rich privi- 
leges of his first-born. " Son, thou art ever with me." Surely the 
continual presence of such a father was happiness in itself. But, 
knowing the covetous heart of his son, the father added, " All that I 
have is thine." There was no argument required to prove that a lost 
son should be received with joy. The father thought it sufficient to 
say, " It was meet that we should make merry and be glad." 

Could the Pharisees avoid perceiving in the envious brother their 
own likeness ? Now that the Saviour was receiving penitent publi- 
cans, and that angels were rejoicing over them in heaven, the Phari- 
sees were boasting of their own goodness, and reproaching the Lord 
with partiality. They imagined that they had served God all their 
lives, and had never transgressed his commandment. The Lord did 
not show them (as He might have done) how false was this notion : 
but He proved, that even if they were as good as they supposed, the 
spirit they evinced towards penitent sinners was ungrateful and un- 
generous. Had the Pharisees really been holy men, they would have 
rejoiced with angels over pardoned penitents. True believers remem- 
ber the season when they were received into their father's favor, and 
they rejoice with each wanderer who returns as they did. There is 
not a son in the house of our heavenly Father who has not had his 
festival ; except the angels who have been ever with Him, and have 
never transgressed his commandments. Yet there are some of the 
children of God, who were sanctified at so early a period, that they 
cannot remember the first feelings of penitence ; they have not expe- 
rienced the bitterness of an unconverted state, and cannot tell by con- 
trast how great is their present happiness. These have enjoyed the 
best portion, in having been ever with their Father. How many days 
of childhood have been gilded with more than childish joy through the 
early knowledge of their Father in heaven ! How sweet the remem- 
brance of a youth spent in his service, unpolluted by worldly vanities ! 
Yet even they — even those sanctified in infancy and devoted to God 



Jt r LY 21.] THE UNJUST STEWARD. 319 

unto old age, have wandered into some forbidden paths, and have 
committed innumerable transgressions. They have experienced the 
forgiving love of God, when returning from their backslidings. They 
can say with David, " He restoreth my soul ; He leadeth me in the 
paths of righteousness for his name's sake." 

Evening Scripture portion. Hosea XIV. The pardoned backslider. 






Luke XVI. 1-8. — -The parable of the unjust steward. 

This parable has perplexed many persons. They have said, "What 
a dishonest man this steward was ! Did his lord commend him for his 
wickedness ?" No, not for his ivickedness, but for his ivisdom — for his 
worldly wisdom. His plan to secure himself from want was very 
cunning and ingenious. It is supposed that the oil and the wheat that 
the creditors owed were their rent. It was the office of the steward 
to make agreements with the tenants concerning the amount of produce 
that ought to be paid to their lord. This steward, before he was dis- 
missed from his post, made new agreements with the tenants, and in- 
gratiated himself by lowering the rents. When he was gone, the lord 
became acquainted with these proceedings, and expressed his wonder 
at the wicked policy of his unfaithful steward. 

But some may still inquire, " Why did our Lord select a dishonest 
action as an instance of worldly wisdom ? Does not the selection seem 
to countenance dishonesty ?" But, if we consider, we shall perceive 
that the badness of the action renders it a suitable instance of the wis- 
dom displayed by bad men. This was the point that the Lord wished 
to prove ; — bad men take more pains to accomplish their bad ends, than 
good men to accomplish their good ends. 

Perhaps a blush arose in the face of many a Pharisee, as this in- 
stance of knavery was related. That very steward may have been 
present. Many of the hypocritical Pharisees had committed actions 
equally dishonest. Their own consciences must have convicted them. 
But it was chiefly for the instruction of the disciples that the parable 
was related. It was addressed to them, and this was the lesson taught. : 
" The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the chil- 
dren of light." By this sentence the Lord turns into a volume of rich 
instruction the actions of this wicked world among whom we live. 

Wicked men are intent on accomplishing different wicked ends. 
One is bent upon accumulating immense riches. How does he set 
about his design? With the lukewarmness that Christians so often 
betray in pursuing their designs ? Does he not rise early, and sit up 
late ? Are not his thoughts always intent upon devising new schemes 
for amassing wealth ? Is not the crowded city the place where he de- 



320 FAITHFULNESS IN THE USE OF RICHES ENJOINED. [JULY 22. 

lights to be, whatever pleasures may allure, or weariness oppress? 
Were Christians to be as diligent in prayer, as this man in counting 
his gains, how rich would they grow in faith, and love, and every 
grace ! 

Another is bent upon destroying the reputation of his neighbors, in 
order that he alone may be praised and admired ! How dexterously 
he performs his work ! How cleverly he insinuates that some evil is 
practised by his companion ! Perhaps he says nothing directly against 
him, (as this might awaken suspicion,) but he contrives to place him 
in a disagreeable light. Do we thus watch opportunities to say a word 
in behalf of our Lord and Master, insinuating something in his praise, 
when we cannot speak more openly ? When we reflect on the great- 
ness of the end that Christians have in view, we feel that they ought 
to be most earnestly intent on gaining it. Could heaven be purchased, 
the world would be a bauble to offer for it : it has been bought with 
more precious blood. Shall we grieve our dying Lord by our indif- 
ference to a gift so dearly bought, and so infinitely glorious ? 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Cor. IX. Earnest endeavors after salvation. 



Luke XVI. 9-13. — Christ exhorts his disciples to be faithful in the 

use of riches. 

The Lord Jesus had shown, by the history of the unjust steward, 
that the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the 
children of light. He next explained in what particular point they are 
wiser : in the use they make of riches. The steward made use of the 
property consigned to his care in gaining friends, who would receive 
him into their habitations when he lost his stewardship. Therefore 
Jesus said to his disciples, " Make to yourselves friends of the mam- 
mon of unrighteousness, that when ye fail they may receive you into 
everlasting habitations." The name given to riches is very remark- 
able — " the mammon of unrighteousness." Money is often made an 
occasion of sin, and the love of money is the root of all evil. Yet 
even of this unrighteous mammon, a righteous use may be made. Our 
Lord's precept would be more clear, if rendered thus : " Make to 
yourselves friends with the mammon of unrighteousness." How can 
friends be made with this mammon? By spending it in the relief of 
the saints and in the service of God. The widows whom Dorcas 
clothed, the prophets whom Obadiah fed, the apostle whom Onesiph- 
orus visited, and Phebe succored, with all those brethren and strangers 
whom Gaius brought forward on their missionary journeys, will be 
witnesses of their charity and piety before the great white throne. 

It is true the disciples were poor ; but the poor, by the gift of two 



JULY 23.] CHRIST REBUKES THE PHARISEES. 321 

mites, show more love to God than the rich by large contributions out 
of their abundance. The Lord kr^ows that he who is faithful in the 
least would be faithful in much. That poor widow who cast her mites 
into the treasury will be intrusted with true riches in the world to 
come. 

Riches are only lent to the possessor, not given. This is the mean- 
ing of the verse : " If ye have not been faithful in that which is another 
man's, who shall give you that which is your own ?" Every posses- 
sion is now, as if it were another man's : it is only lent. Hereafter a 
possession will be bestowed upon the righteous, even an inheritance 
ih&tfadeth not away. As riches are only lent, an account of the use 
to which they have been applied will be required. What account will 
those render who wilfully devote any part of their property to the ser- 
vice of Mammon, the god of this world ? Whatever is spent in the 
encouragement of sin is spent in the service of Mammon. There are 
some persons who employ part of their money in doing good and part 
in promoting evil. They attempt to serve God and Mammon. They 
support Sunday-schools and Bible societies with part of their property, 
and with another part they encourage those worldly amusements, and 
that proud display, which are condemned in the word of God. But 
those who really love their crucified Saviour cannot act thus. The 
apostle Paul declares, " God forbid that I should glory save in the 
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto 
me and I unto the world." 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Gal. VI. Sowing to the flesh, and to the Spirit. 



Luke XVI. 14-18. — Christ rebukes the Pharisees who derided him. 

The Pharisees hated reproof. When they found the Lord's dis- 
courses applied to their own case they were angry. Conscious that 
they were covetous, they could not bear to hear covetousness spoken 
against. It is natural to the human heart to shrink from the touch 
of truth. How often ministers find that, their hearers have been of- 
fended by the most searching parts of their sermons ! Let us inquire 
whether we hate to hear our faults reproved. No doubt it is painful 
to be told of our sins. But is it not better to be made acquainted with 
them now, than to wait till we stand before the face of God ? The 
kindest friends we have are those who take us apart to say, " Are you 
acting right in this point, or in that particular?" The most, faithful 
ministers are those who will not let sinners slumber on in their sins, 
till the fire of eternal wrath devour them. 

But none are so angry at reproof as those who make a false pro- 

41 



322 CHRIST REBUKES THE PHARISEES. [JULY 23. 

fession of religion. The Pharisees were only anxious that men should 
think highly of their characters. ^As they knew that men could not 
see into their hearts, they did not care in what state they remained. 
If a monarch were going to pass through a town, the inhabitants would 
probably cleanse and adorn the outside of their houses : but as they 
would know he could not see through the walls, they would not think 
it necessary to make the inside beautiful. But if the monarch were 
to announce that he should enter the house of one of the citizens, then 
what care would be used to render it fit for his reception ! The King 
of kings searches every heart. A fair outside is not sufficient : God 
knoweth our hearts. A heart, unwashed in the blood of Christ, and 
unrenewed by his Holy Spirit, is an abomination in his sight. It may 
be highly esteemed by men, and called a tender heart, a kind, warm, 
and good heart : but it is pronounced by God to be a deceitful and 
desperately wicked heart. With such a heart none can enter his king- 
dom. The Pharisees had unconverted hearts. They professed to 
love God : but in reality they hated Him. How did they show they 
hated Him ? By hating his law. They did not keep his holy com- 
mandments. Christ reminded them of one great sin, which they fre- 
quently committed. They broke the seventh commandment by putting 
away their wives in order to marry others. This sin had been rebuked 
by the prophet Malachi four hundred years before. He had said, 
" The Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, 
against whom thou hast dealt treacherously ; and yet she is thy com- 
panion and the wife of thy covenant." Yet these Jews in Malachi's 
time had made a great profession of religion. At the very time they 
were treating their wives with cruelty, they were offering sacrifices to 
God at his altar. But did he accept these sacrifices ? No, he ab- 
horred them. The injured wives had poured out their tears before the 
altar, where their treacherous husbands presented their offerings — God 
saw those tears with compassion, and rejected those offerings with in- 
dignation. Let us never imagine that God will accept any of our ser- 
vices, while we are ill-treating any of his creatures. If, when we go 
and kneel before God to say our prayers, any person is pouring out 
tears before his footstool on account of our ill-treatment, can we ex- 
pect our prayers to be heard ? God has declared in his word that He 
will hear the cry of the oppressed, and that He will punish the oppres- 
sors : " Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou 
afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear 
their cry : and my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the 
sword ; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless." 
Ex. xxii. 22-24. 

Evening Scripture portion. Mai. II. Conjugal treachery. 



JULY 24.] CHRIST BLESSES LITTLE CHILDREN. 323 



Mark X. 13-16. — Christ blesses little children. 

How many young and tender hearts have been encouraged to come 
to their Saviour by the sweet declaration, " Suffer the little children to 
come unto me !" How many dying children have lisped these words 
in their last moments ! When Jesus uttered them, he knew what 
comfort they would afford to the lambs of his flock for many ages to 
come. 

It was, however, in displeasure that he gave the command, " Let 
the little children come unto me." It was not with the children that 
he was displeased, nor with their mothers, but with his own disciples. 
He was not often much displeased with them. There must have been 
some great offence to excite this great displeasure. It was a great 
offence to attempt to drive away these infants from their Saviour ! 
How could the disciples take so much upon them, as to forbid the 
mothers to bring their babes ! Pride lurked in their hearts, and sug- 
gested many harsh and ungracious measures. Before Jesus left this 
world he charged Peter to feed his lambs ; — those lambs whom He 
carries in his own bosom. Faithful ministers love little children, and 
are ready to instruct them. 

The babes brought to Jesus were too young to receive instruction ; 
therefore the Lord only took them in his arms and blessed them. He 
knew even then what should befall each — he knew which fair blossom 
would be nipped in the bud, and which would bloom in the church on 
earth. He knew which smiling infant would become a minister, and 
which would prove a martyr. May we not hope that none of the in- 
fants that Jesus blessed were lost forever ? Was not His blessing 
the pledge of their salvation ? 

The parents did well in bringing them to Christ. Many parents 
had brought sick children to him to be healed : but these parents sought 
no temporal benefits : they desired that the Saviour should put his 
hands upon their little ones, and pray. Surely Jesus must have been 
as much pleased with these parents, as he was displeased with his 
disciples. He still is pleased when mothers care more for the im- 
mortal souls of their children than for their perishing bodies. How 
grateful these little children ought to have been to their kind parents, 
when they were old enough to know what those parents had done for 
them in their infancy ! Many are indebted to the secret prayers of a 
mother to her Saviour for the richest blessings they enjoy ! We never 
can repay our parents for the prayers they have offered up on our 
behalf. The kindest parents often make mistakes in their manner 
of bringing up their children : but no mistakes will prove fatal, if 
they are fervent in their prayers for them, and consistent in their ex- 
ample. 

What reason did Jesus give for receiving these little ones so kindly? 
He did not say it was because he loved their parents, or because he 



324 THE RICH MAN'S PETITION [july 25. 

knew the children would be holy when they grew up ; but he said, 
" For of such is the kingdom of heaven." The disciples had only tc 
observe the ways of the little creatures, then folded in their mothers' 
arms, in order to know what they themselves ought to be. Those 
babes cared not for strangers, but only for the hand that fed them, for 
the arm that upheld them, for the face that smiled on them. Such 
ought to be the devoted affection of all believers for their everlasting 
Friend. How interesting it is to observe a little child, while we think 
of the words, " Of such is the kingdom of heaven !" Does not this 
sentence give us ground to believe that there are many little children 
now in glory ? 

Why do babes ever taste death? This epitaph was once written 
upon an infant's tomb : 

It died, for Adam sinned. 
It lives, for Jesus died. 

Every action of our Saviour silently assures us that he loves chil- 
dren. He listens to their songs in the temple, — he rebukes their ene- 
mies, — he folds them in his arms, — he lays his hands upon them and 
blesses them. Will he shut those out from his presence in glory whom 
he would not allow to be sent from his presence upon earth ? If he 
prayed for them when he lived here below, does he refuse to intercede 
for them now he reigns on yonder throne above ? Surely he would be 
much displeased with us, if we were to harbor any doubts of his lender 
love for the little creatures that his hands first formed, and that he has 
never ceased to defend and bless. 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Sam. III. The calling of Samuel. 



Luke XVI. 19-24. — The rich man's petition for his own relief. 

In this parable the curtain that conceals the eternal world is lifted 
up ; — and by whom ? By Him who every moment beholds the sons 
of men sinking into hell, or soaring up to heaven. He described these 
solemn scenes that we might be filled with holy awe. They- were 
ever before his eyes, and he wondered at the indifference of sinners to 
their approaching doom. 

No doubt this rich man and this beggar were real persons. He had 
no need to employ fiction who knew a\\ facts. 

It may appear strange to short-sighted mortals that God should per- 
mit one of his own beloved to languish, covered with sores, before a 
lordly gate. But the eye of faith beholds the happy spirit of the beg- 
gar, conveyed by glorious angels along the path of life into the pres- 
ence of God. Then the mystery is explained. The Holy Spirit had 
sanctified the sorrowful heart of Lazarus, and Jesus had pardoned al) 



JULY 25.] FOR HIS OWN RELIEF. 325 

his sins. "When we see a poor diseased object, let us remember Laz- 
arus, and say, " This may be one of God's elect." But we know that 
there are many who suffer afflictions in vain ; many who are not soft- 
ened by poverty or sickness ; many who curse God and die. 

The rich man does not appear to have committed any flagrant crime ; 
he seems to have been a respectable worldly man. His body was 
buried with pomp, but his soul was not conducted with honor through 
the regions of the air to eternal glory. " In hell he lifts up his eyes, 
being in torments !" What a change w r as this ! instead of a bed of 
down, — burning coals ; instead of purple raiment, — a flaming robe ; 
instead of sumptuous fare, — the want of all things, even of a drop of 
water. But what a glorious sight he beheld ! heaven with its inhab- 
itants. Do we envy him this privilege ? How the sight must have 
added to his misery ! We should like to behold the saints' abode, for 
we hope to reach it : but in hell, " Hope that comes to all, comes 
never." The flame must have seemed to burn with redoubled fury, 
when the lost spirit saw the stream which makes glad the city of our 
God. Among the guests at the supper of the Lamb, he descried 
Abraham and Lazarus. He had been brought up to revere Abraham 
as his great ancestor, and as the father of the faithful. Though he 
had never seen him before, yet he knew him. It is probable he had 
been accustomed to despise Lazarus as a loathsome object ; now he 
saw this despised beggar seated next to the honorable patriarch. 
God had exalted Abraham when upon earth, and had abased Lazarus, 
but he had bestowed like precious- faith upon them both. When we 
behold the company of the redeemed, we may expect to know them 
again, whether we were before acquainted with their persons, or only 
with their names. God grant that we may not behold them afar off, 
as the rich man did, but that we may be mingled in their society. 
We may expect to see among the eminent servants of God, among 
ministers, missionaries, and reformers, among prophets, apostles, and 
martyrs, others — who have lived and died in meanness and obscurity, 
— blind beggars, hospital patients, and workhouse inmates. Some of 
these will doubtless occupy places next to such revered men as Lu- 
ther or as Latimer, — as Daniel, Job, or Noah. 

The rich man must have been surprised to see the beggar in so 
honorable a place. Did he recognise none of his kindred, nor ac- 
quaintance, nor servants, that he fixed all his hopes of receiving relief 
upon Lazarus ? Where were his father and mother ? Where were 
his friends and neighbors ? Had none of them reached the place of 
rest ? It is to be feared that there are ungodly families whose names 
are unknown among the blessed. They have encouraged each other in 
forgetfulness of God, and have sunk down together into the pit. Why 
did the rich man think that Lazarus would be ready to come to his 
aid ? No doubt the crumbs from his table had often been given to the 
beggar who lay at his gate, and therefore he may have thought he had 
some claim upon his services now. But surely if this rich man had 



326 THE RICH MAN'S PETITION. [JULY 26 

loved God, he would have bestowed more than crumbs upon the pooi 
sufferer dying before his eyes. Now his condition was far worse than 
that of Lazarus had ever been. The least moisture upon his tongue 
was the only boon he asked, and it was denied him. The misery of 
hell is complete. Here in our deepest sorrows there is some allevia- 
tion, some comforting circumstance, some ray of hope ; but in hell 
there is none ; all is darkness, desolation, destitution, and despair. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. XLIX. Vanity of earthly glory. 



Luke XVI. 25-28. — The rich maris 'petition for his brethren. 

If prayers were heard in hell, how many would be offered up ! But 
the abode of despair is not the place for prayer. All the rich man's 
requests were refused. The first was a very small petition. It was 
not a petition for release. Lost spirits know that release is impossi- 
ble. The gates have closed upon them forever. The Redeemer's 
blood cannot be sprinkled upon their conscience, the Holy Spirit can- 
not be shed abroad in their hearts ; therefore salvation cannot be ob- 
tained. But the rich man hoped that the slightest possible relief might 
be granted. He did not ask that Lazarus might bring him a draught, 
nor even a drop of water : he did not ask that he might dip his hand 
or his finger in w T ater, — but he asked that he might dip the tip of his 
finger in water, and apply it to his burning tongue. Yet the request 
was refused. Abraham reminded the tormented spirit that on earth 
he had received good things, and Lazarus evil things. By the manner 
in which Abraham reasoned, it is evident that the rich man had de- 
sired, when on earth, no better portion than he now received ; and that 
Lazarus had been content with the bitter portion allotted to him. It 
was, therefore, just that each should now abide by his own choice. 
Lazarus must not feel even for a moment the scorching flames of hell, 
nor must the rich man taste one drop of the cooling streams of heaven. 
God now gives us our choice. Do we prefer heaven, with any amount 
of previous sufferings, to earth, with any amount of passing delights ? 
Which would we rather encounter, — the trials of the saints, or the 
temptations of the world ? 

We perceive that if there had been no impassable gulf between 
heaven and hell, yet that Lazarus would not have been permitted to 
sooth the sufferings of the lost. But there is such a gulf. It fills 
heaven with repose, and hell with despair. The inhabitants of each 
world know that there can be no change of state. Hell knows that nc 
celestial comforter will ever enter her gates, and Heaven that no ma- 
licious enemy will ever break through hers. 



JULY 27.] ABRAHAM'S REPLY TO THE RICH MAN. 327 

But though tiie rich man found there was no path from heaven to 
hell, he knew there was a path from .heaven to earth. He requested 
that Lazarus might be sent to warn his five brethren of the danger of 
their condition. It seems that he had left no children upon earth 
Perhaps he had been cut off in his youth. We cannot tell what his 
motives were for desiring that his brethren should not partake his 
misery. Can natural affection subsist in hell ? or was the rich man 
afraid lest the reproaches of brothers, whom he had corrupted by his 
example, should add to his own torment? Let us be reminded by his 
prayer of the privileges we now enjoy. Have we any unconverted 
relations ? We may pray for them, not to Abraham, but — to God. We 
will not pray that a departed spirit may be sent to warn them, but 
we will entreat that God's Holy Spirit may convince and convert them. 
The saints can witness that God does hear their prayers, and has 
mercy on others for their sake. It makes a Christian's heart sad to 
think of those who have shared with him a mother's care, not sharing 
with him a Saviour's glory. It would add to the joy of a believer, 
even in heaven, to see every one of his kindred sitting around their 
heavenly Father's table. 

If pious brothers feel solicitude for their brothers' salvation, what 
must parents feel for the souls of their beloved children ? They bear 
them incessantly on their hearts before God, and with tears implore 
the Lord to preserve them from sinking into the place of torment. 
They can hardly imagine that it would be possible that they themselves 
should be happy in heaven, if anyone of their dear children were mis- 
sing. Yet some who have brought down their parents' gray hairs with 
sorrow to the grave, have repented afterioards. Then they have la- 
mented (O how bitterly !) that they did not gladden their parents while 
they were yet alive. It is their comfort to think that their parents will 
see them enter into glory. One of these penitents was heard to say, 
" How much surprised my father will be to see me enter heaven !"* 

Evening Scripture portion. Rom. IX. St. PauVs love for his brethren. 



Luke XVI. 29 to end. — Abraham's reply to the rich man. 

It is natural to suppose that the sight of a departed spirit would 
awaken a thoughtless soul. The rich man imagined that his brethren 
would turn from sin if Lazarus were to appear to them in the midst 
of their luxury and their gayety, and to say, " I am the beggar that 
once languished at the gate : I am now an inhabitant of heaven : I 
partake of the immortal feast : I sit with the saints, and behold the 

* The son of the celebrated Grimshaw, rector of Haworth, Yorkshire. 



328 THE FORGIVENESS OF INJURIES. [jULY 28. 

face of God : I have seen your brother — he is not with us : I heard a 
doleful cry : it was his voice : he was burning in the flames of hell : 
he entreated that I might moisten his tongue with the tip of my finger, 
but the request could not be granted. He has remembered you. He 
once lived (as you do now) a worldly, thoughtless life ; he knows how 
your course will end : he dreads lest you should join him in the place 
of torment." The rich man supposed that such a warning voice 
would alarm his brethren, stop them in their sinful career, and turn 
them to God. But the Lord has not appointed this mode of dealing 
with men. He might have made the departed the ministers of the 
living. Every dead relative might have appeared again ; the happy 
to tell of their happiness, the miserable to tell of their misery. But 
God devised another method. He spoke to holy men of old, and 
taught them to write the words he dictated. He appointed living 
men to speak of those holy words to their fellow-creatures. This is 
God's method. Thousands and tens of thousands have been saved by 
these means. They have believed the written message, and the living 
preacher, and have fled from the threatened wrath. God continues to 
pursue this plan of dealing with men. He requires us to believe 
what we do not see, only because He says it. The Lord Jesus well 
knew that if he had appeared to his enemies when he rose again from 
the dead, he would not have overcome their enmity ; therefore he did 
not appear to them. He appeared to his friends for their comfort, but 
not to his enemies for their conversion. 

The Lord's method must be the most excellent way. If we would 
save the souls of men, we must let them hear the word of God, which 
he spoke by Moses, by the prophets, by his own Son, and by his 
apostles. That word has awakened whole families, who were as 
thoughtless as the rich man's brothers, and has saved them from the 
place of torment. Every soul that reaches the abode of bliss, will 
trace his coming there to his having heard the word of God. Some 
will speak of one part of that blessed word, and some will speak of 
another, and all will bless the Holy Spirit who opened their hearts to 
receive the truth. We shall not need the Bible in heaven, because we 
shall be with Him who wrote it ; but surely it will not be forgotten 
there. Neither will it be forgotten in hell. It will add to the fierce- 
ness of the flames to remember the slighted warnings, the despised 
promises, the rejected invitations of the word of God. 

Evening Scripture portion. Hebrews IV. Danger of unbelief. 



Luke XVII. 1-4. — Christ teaches the forgiveness of injuries. 

When Jesus was alone with his disciples, he dwelt upon those 
topics that were the most necessary for them to understand. All who 



JULY 28.] THE FORGIVENESS OF INJURIES. 329 

believe in the Saviour must listen with particular interest to these con 
versations. 

Believers now, like the first disciples, are " compassed with infirmi- 
ty." The instructions that suited the little flock who surrounded the 
Lord when he was on earth, will suit the larger flock that wait at his 
feet now he is enthroned in the heavens. 

On this occasion the Saviour warned his disciples against two 
things — committing offences, and indulging an unforgiving spirit. 

The " offences" spoken of are stumbling-blocks laid in the way of 
weak believers. Those who are strong in faith must be careful not to 
injure the weak in faith, even as the elder children in a family must 
carefully avoid hurting the tender frames of the younger children. A 
considerate youth would refrain from performing some feats that he 
could with safety perform, if he thought that his little brothers might 
be tempted to imitate his example, and to endanger their limbs or their 
lives. Believers strong in faith ought to act in the same way, and to 
refrain even from enjoying lawful privileges, sooner than endanger 
their weak brethren. In Rom. xiv. the apostle Paul points out very 
clearly this duty. 

But if it be a grievous sin to wound a weak believer through care- 
lessness, how dreadful a crime it must be to injure him wilfully ! No 
true believer would commit this sin. It would be better to be cast 
into the sea, (as criminals often are in the East,) than to be guilty of 
it. To persuade a child of God to act against his conscience, and to 
break his Father's law, is to commit -a worse sin than murder. If you 
were to induce a person to leap from a high window, you might be the 
occasion of the destruction of his body, but if you were to tempt him to 
break the Sabbath, to tell a lie, to join in profane discourse, you would 
endanger his soul. God indeed coidd preserve the body from being 
dashed to pieces, and the soul from being lost, but the person who de- 
ceived would be as guilty as if the worst consequences had followed. 
How watchful we ought to be over our behavior to the children of 
God, lest we injure those whom God guards with such tender care ! 

There is another sin that we must strive against, if we desire to 
please God. It is an unforgiving spirit. The family of God upon 
earth are so full of defects, that they often annoy each other. If we 
were surrounded by angels, we should have no temptations to anger. 
But is there one of us who can say, " I act like an angel to those 
around me ?" Is it not true that we are constantly exercising the pa- 
tience of our companions ? Does it become us to be slow to forgive ? 
When we are conscious that we have wounded another, each of us 
should say, "I repent;" and when another says to us, " I repent," 
each of us should reply, " I forgive." But if our brother forget his 
duty, and omit to acknowledge his fault, we ought not to be rigorous 
in demanding the confession. Were he to make it, we should find it 
more easy to forgive ; but if he withhold it, we have the opportunity 
of showing a higher degree of grace by forgiving, notwithstanding his 

42 



330 THE DISCIPLES' PRAYER. [JULY 29 

omission. In most differences, however, both parties have something 
to confess and something to forgive. Mutual concessions and mutual 
forgiveness are generally needed. He who first says, "I repent," acts 
the most Christian part ; for he shows that he has already forgiven the 
trespasses of his brother. Had not Jesus forgiven us before any of us 
said, " I repent," we never should have felt even the desire to obtain 
his forgiveness. It was the thought that He loved us before we loved 
him that melted our hearts, and made us feel truly penitent for our sins. 

Evening Scripture portion. Rom. XIV. Regard for weak brethren. 



Luke XVII. 5-10. — The disciples pray for more faith. 

Why did the disciples offer up the prayer, "Increase our faith?" 
Had their Lord just revealed some mystery that it was difficult to be- 
lieve ? No : but he had just enjoined a duty that it was difficult to 
practise. That duty was, " Forgiving oft-repeated trespasses." Who- 
ever has been deeply or often injured, and has endeavored freely to 
forgive, knows that the wicked heart rises up against the righteous 
deed — and that the struggle is sharp between the sense of injury and 
of duty. In vain the person offended reasons with himself, and urges 
himself to the performance of the command ; his unwilling soul hangs 
back, and refuses to obey. What is the only remedy against this in- 
ward repugnance ? Faith. Had we more faith, we should run, where 
now we cannot walk. The disciples felt their need of faith, and they 
applied to him who alone can bestow it. Jesus is the author of faith. 

Though some prophets have been enabled to bestow temporal 
benefits, none have ever had the power to confer spiritual good. No 
mere man was ever known to give repentance, or to strengthen faith. 
But the Son of God can do all things. If any man lack wisdom, let 
him ask of him and it shall be given him : if any man lack faith, let 
him ask and it also shall be given. Have we any excuse for saying, 
" I cannot do what my Lord commands ?" Do we find it difficult to 
forgive repeated injuries, or great injuries, or (which is harder still) to 
forgive trespasses still unconfessed, there is power in Christ to enable 
us to overcome these mountains. 

And when we have succeeded in conquering the deep-rooted sins 
of our hearts, what ought to be our feeling then ? Our Saviour teaches 
us what it ought to be. When we have done all that was commanded, 
we must say, "We are unprofitable servants: we have done that 
which was our duty to do." But we have never done all, or half, or 
a hundredth part of the things that were commanded us. We are not 
only unprofitable, but we are provoking and guilty servants. Had we 
not the God of all patience for our master, we should have been dis 



JULY 30.] JAMES AND JOHN. 331 

missed long ago from his service. But instead of dismissing us, he 
treats us in the most generous manner. His yoke is easy and his bur- 
den is light, while his reward is a weight of glory. He is so infinitely 
gracious, that after having borne with our imperfect services, he has 
promised to say to each who sincerely loves him, " Well done, good 
and faithful servant : enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." 

The thought of receiving such commendation ought to humble us 
more than the severest reproof. It will humble those who shall receive 
it. Every one of them will cast his crown of life at the feet of Him 
who bestowed it, and say, " Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive 
glory, and honor, and power." (Rev. iv. 11.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Gen. L. Joseph confirms his brethren's pardon. 



Luke IX. 51-56. — James and John betray a revengeful spirit. 

And was it the gentle apostle John who proposed to consume the 
Samaritans with fire ? Yes, it was even that apostle whom Jesus 
loved ; that apostle who leaned on his breast at supper, who stood by 
his cross, and who became a son to the Messiah's bereaved mother. 
Yes, even John once indulged a proud, passionate, and revengeful 
spirit. When the Samaritan villagers refused to receive the Lord, the 
apostles James and John thought that they showed a holy zeal in de- 
siring to revenge the insult. How easy it is to deceive ourselves 
respecting the motives of our actions ! Party spirit often appears like 
holy zeal ; but it is of an opposite nature, and comes from a different 
place. 

The Lord felt compassion for these ignorant Samaritans. They 
refused to receive him into their houses ; but had they known who he 
was, and what he could bestow, they would have asked of him, and 
he would have received them into everlasting habitations. But they 
knew him not ; they looked upon him as their enemy, because he be- 
longed to the Jewish nation. 

The sin of the well-instructed apostles James and John was much 
greater than the sin of the ignorant Samaritans. When Moses and 
Aaron once said to the Israelites, " Must we fetch water for you 
rebels !" the Lord was so much displeased with the passionate speech, 
that he permitted neither of these eminent saints to enter the promised 
land. Yet was not the spirit of the brothers James and John like the 
spirit of Moses and Aaron on that occasion ? The two leaders of 
Israel would have suffered the thirsty host to languish for want of 
water ; the two apostles were anxious to consume the Samaritan vil- 
lagers with fire. 

There was once another prophet who indulged the same wrong 



332 CHRIST REPLIES TO THREE PERSONS. [JULY 31. 

spirit. Jonah desired the destruction of Nineveh. God expostulated 
with the prophet upon his cruelty in wishing so large a city, containing 
so many little children, to be destroyed. 

God loves better to hear his people intercede for perishing sinners, 
(as Abraham did for Sodom,) than to hear them plead for their 
destruction. It better becomes a creature, who deserves himself to 
be consumed, and who has been snatched by the arm of divine mercy 
as a brand from the burning — it better becomes such a one to ask 
mercy for his fellow-sinners, than to invoke vengeance. When Elijah 
called down fire from heaven to consume the captains that the king 
had sent to take him, he spoke in the power of God's Spirit, and not 
after his own will. When Elisha turned and cursed the children of 
Bethel, he acted by the direction of God. When David in his psalms 
denounces awful curses upon the wicked, he speaks in the person of 
Christ, and foretells the sentence which the Lord will pronounce upon 
His own enemies at the last day. There is not a word in the Bible, 
from the beginning to the end, to sanction a revengeful spirit. But 
nothing can show the hatefulness of such a spirit so clearly as the ex- 
ample of Christ. Even when nailed upon the cross, he prayed for his 
murderers, saying, " Father, forgive them ; for they know not what 
they do." Do not we feel ashamed of the harshness and heat of our 
own spirits ? Are we not too soon provoked, and too slowly pacified ? 
All who know their own hearts lament that they have not yet attained 
to that charity which beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all 
things, endureth all things. But let us not be discouraged. Let us 
pray that the Holy Spirit may sanctify our hearts, and subdue those 
proud tempers and angry feelings that disturb our peace, dishonor our 
profession, and displease our Saviour. 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Kings I. Elijah brings down fire from heaven. 






Luke IX. 57 to end. — Christ replies to three persons. 

Would not each of us like to know what the Saviour would have 
said to us had we lived upon earth at the time that he honored it with 
his bodily presence ? We have just read of three persons who had 
interviews with him, each of whom received an answer suited to his 
real character. The first and the last of these three offered to follow 
Jesus ; the second was called to follow him. It is natural for us to 
suppose that those who offered to become his disciples were more 
attached to him than the man who did not offer himself, but who only 
received a call. Yet it is evident from the Lord's replies to each that 
he was most approved whom we might deem least earnest. 



JULY 31.] CHRIST REPLIES TO THREE PERSONS. 333 

The first of the three appears to have mistaken the nature of the 
Lord's service. He said, . " I will follow thee whithersoever thou 
goest." But was he prepared to follow him to prison and to death ? 
It appears from the Lord's answer that he was not. Jesus replied : 
" Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests : but the Son of man 
hath not where to lay his head." By this answer the Saviour seemed 
to say, " If you desire a life of ease, you must not follow me ; for I 
have no retreat from the malice of my foes." Had the man truly loved 
him, he would not have been deterred by any dangers from following 
his steps. As no further mention is made of this man, it is most 
probable that he was discouraged by the reply he received. 

Those who cannot read the heart might have thought that the man 
who said, " Suffer me first to go and bury my father," was unwilling 
to follow Jesus. But the Lord judged differently. He saw in the man 
the spirit that he approved. It was not unwillingness to obey his call, 
but a sense of duty to an aged, and perhaps a deceased parent, that 
prompted the request. The Lord replied, " Let the dead bury their 
dead." It is probable that this man had relations who w T ere dead in 
sins. The Lord appointed that they should bury the dead father, and 
that the living son should preach the kingdom of God. He was not 
dead: he was made alive by the Spirit of God. Christ does not say 
to every one, " Preach thou the kingdom of God ;" but when he does 
call a man by his Spirit to the holy ministry, every hinderance to his 
obedience to the call must be laid aside. Many who have gone forth 
as missionaries to heathen lands, have broken the dearest ties in order 
to pursue their sacred work ! Some have left widowed mothers, others 
have sacrificed their brightest earthly hopes, rather than disobey the 
command, " Preach thou the kingdom of God." 

The last of the three resembled the first in one respect. Like him 
he offered to follow Jesus. He resembled the second in another 
respect. Like him he asked permission to delay his coming for a little 
while ; but the reason he gave was different. He wished to bid fare- 
well to those at home in his house. Was this request -wrong? Did 
not Elisha once make a similar request when called by Elijah ? It is 
evident that in this case the motive was wrong. The Lord's answer 
showed that this man, like the first, was not prepared for the service 
he offered to engage in. His heart still clung to his earthly interests, 
and was not devoted to Christ. Therefore the Lord compared him to 
one, who, holding the handle of the plough, instead of fixing his eye 
upon the furrow before him that he may make it straight, turns his 
head round, and gazes on the scenes behind. Such a man, he de- 
clared, was not fit for the kingdom of God. 

The first and last of the three appear to have been unsound at heart. 
The first was eager to set out, because he knew not the nature of the 
service ; the last was unwilling to set out immediately, because he 
loved too well his earthly portion. 

Let us examine our own hearts, to see whether we resemble any one 



334 THE TEx\ LEPERS. [aUG. 1 . 

of these three men ! Perhaps we are eager, like the first, to under- 
take some Christian work. But are we prepared for sufferings, and 
persecution, and poverty ? Or our case may resemble that of the last. 
We may intend some day to become devoted Christians, while we feel 
so much engrossed by our earthly enjoyments that we are continually 
putting off the time for beginning to lead a new life. The Lord Jesus 
knows our most secret feelings. It is useless to attempt to deceive 
him : if we do not really love him, and think it a privilege to serve 
him, he will not accept our services. If, like the second character, 
we really long to do something for his cause, but are hindered by other 
pressing duties, the way shall be made clear ; a door shall be opened, 
difficulties shall be removed, and the desire of our hearts shall be 
granted. 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Kings XIX. Elijah calls Elisha. 



Luke XVII. 11-19. The ten Lepers. 

How touching are the words, " Where are the nine ?" The Lord 
keeps an account of the number that he blesses, and he expects to see 
them at his feet, giving him thanks. He knows how many he has 
lifted up from the gates of death since the last setting sun. Some 
called on him yesterday out of the depths of distress ; he heard them, 
and to-day disease is subdued, and danger is averted. Parents who 
feared yesterday that their absent children had met with some fatal 
accident, have heard to-day that they are safe. Persons plunged in deep 
poverty, who feared that they should soon perish with famine, or pine 
in a prison, have received gifts to-day that have extricated them from 
all their troubles. Are those persons to-day pouring forth their thanks 
at their Redeemer's feet ? It is to be feared that the Lord still says, 
" Where are the nine ; the nine hundred, the nine thousand, the nine 
million, that I have delivered from distress ?" 

We are astonished at the ingratitude of the lepers ; but no doubt 
they had some plausible excuses to make for their conduct. The 
Lord had said unto them, " Go, show yourselves unto the priests." 
As they were going they were cleansed. They still followed the di- 
rection that had been given them, and pursued their way. But grati- 
tude ought to have turned their steps back again. If they delayed to 
go to Jesus, they might never enjoy another opportunity of thanking 
him ; for he was on his way, and would soon be gone. One, however, 
followed not the example of his companions. When he felt the glow 
of health in his veins, and saw the hue of health upon his hands, he 
did not hesitate how to act : he returned alone, and with a loud voice 
and in an humble attitude, glorified God. And this man was a Sa 



AUG. 2.] CHRIST PREPARES HIS DISCIPLES FOR HIS ABSENCE. 335 

maritan ! He belonged to an ignorant nation, to a nation whom the 
Jews despised, and whose religion the Lord disapproved. This in- 
stance shows that among the most ignorant there are some whose 
hearts God has prepared to love him. Those who visit the abodes of 
misery in crowded cities find some of the poor outcasts ready to re- 
ceive the truth. Missionaries find some in heathen lands who, as soon 
as they hear the Gospel, embrace it. But there are only a few in this 
state. The mass of mankind in all countries care for the gifts, and 
not at all for the giver. The human heart is naturally ungrateful. 
Men are disposed to be ungrateful to their fellow-creatures. They 
feel humbled under the weight of great obligations, and seek an excuse 
for not being thankful. But they are far more ungrateful to God than 
they are to any other being. His mercies are considered matters of 
course. People like to imagine that all things happen by chance, and 
that God does not trouble himself with their little concerns. By these 
ideas, they relieve themselves from the burden of gratitude. 

There is a charge that will be brought against sinners hereafter, 
• which will involve them in the deepest guilt. It is this : they knew 
that the Father had given his only Son to die for them, and they were 
not thankful. Even devils will not have this black crime to answer 
for. Are there as many as one in ten in this Christian land who have 
heartily thanked God for the gift of his Son 1 who have thanked him 
as heartily for it, as they would thank a fellow-creature who had saved 
their lives at the risk of his own ? or even as heartily as they would 
a friend for showing them common kindness and hospitality ? 

Evening Scripture portion. Gen. XL. The butler's ingratitude to Joseph. 



Luke XVII. 20-24. — Christ prepares his disciples for his absence. 

When the Pharisees asked questions the Lord disappointed them 
by his replies. They made inquiries in the hope of entangling him, 
but they themselves were confounded by the answers they received. 
They asked when the kingdom of God should come. The Lord, in- 
stead of acquainting them with that great secret, taught a more im- 
portant truth. Jesus will one day be declared " King over all the 
earth ;" but even now he reigns in the hearts of true believers ; there- 
fore he said to the Pharisees, " The kingdom of God is within you.'' 
It was useless for them to be looking for the appearance of the Lord 
in his glory, while they had not received him into their hearts. 

The Lord would not converse on this subject with his enemies ; but 
he turned to his disciples, and gave them much instruction concerning 
his second coming. He said, " The days come when ye shall desire 
to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it." 



336 CHRIST PREPARES HIS DISCIPLES [aUG. 2, 

What did he mean by one of the days of the Son of man ? Was not 
the day in which he was speaking one of the days, and is not the day 
in which he will come again another of the days ? The Lord prepared 
his disciples for his approaching departure, and foretold that when he 
was gone away they should long to see him again — that is, they should 
desire to see one of his days. Were not these words fulfilled 1 How 
earnestly John, when banished to the Isle of Patmos, desired to see 
the glorious day of the Son of man ! Almost the last words he wrote 
were these : " Come, Lord Jesus." And do not all the disciples of 
the Lord long to see his day of glory? This is one of the marks by 
which they are distinguished — they " love his appearing." (1 Tim. 
iv. 8.) They pray for it constantly in the words, " Thy kingdom 
come." 

But though they do not know when it will come, they do know how: 
for Jesus has told them that " as the lightning, that lighteneth out of 
one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven ; so 
shall also the Son of man be in his day." This promise is a great 
comfort to all his disciples. It would have disquieted their minds, if 
they had thought it possible that their Lord might return to the earth 
without their knowing it. They would have been interrupted in their 
holy pursuits by the idea, " He may now be at Jerusalem, or in the 
desert, or in some hidden chamber, or in some retired spot." But 
they now feel sure that when he comes, they shall see him, wherever 
they may be, or whatever they may be doing. Only a few disciples 
saw him ascend in the clouds from the Mount of Olives : but every eye 
shall behold him when he comes again. How exceedingly great will 
be the brightness of that day ! When the Lord Jesus appeared to the 
persecuting Saul, the light was beyond the brightness of the sun at 
noonday, and its dazzling splendor blinded the eyes of the astonished 
man. (Acts xxvi. 13.) But when he comes again, the light will 
spread over the whole world ; saints will be strengthened to gaze 
upon the scene, and will be changed into the image of their Lord ; 
while impenitent sinners will find the day of brightness a day of dark- 
ness to them. How striking are the words of the prophet Amos on 
this subject ! Amos v. 18-20 : " Wo unto you that desire the day of 
the Lord : to what end is it for you ? the day of the Lord is darkness, 
and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him, 
or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent 
bit him. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light ? 
even very dark, and no brightness in it ?" 

Evening Scripture portion. Amos V. The day of the Lord. 



AUG. 3.] FOR HIS SUDDEN RETURN. 337 



Luke XVII. 25 to end. — Christ prepares his disciples for his sudden 

return. 

Though the Lord did not inform his disciples when his kingdom 
should come, he told them of one event that must happen before that 
glorious day arrived : that event was his own death. " But first he 
must suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation." His 
disciples also would suffer many things, and be rejected by generation 
after generation. The history of their sufferings to the end of time is 
to be found in the Revelation. That book is a book of loarnings (as 
well as promises) to the church of God. It /prepares them for endu- 
ring much tribulation before their Saviour appears to their comfort, and 
to the joy of their enemies. 

But the Lord has concealed both the time and the place of his 
second appearing. When the disciples inquired, " Where, Lord ?" 
he replied by a proverb, " Where the body is, thither will the eagles 
be gathered together." We need not seek to know the place, for we 
shall be gathered to that place, whenever the time arrives. 

There is another most important circumstance which the Lord has 
not concealed. In what state will the world be when Jesus comes 
again ? In the same state as it was before the flood. The book of 
Genesis, as well as the book of Revelation, is a book of warnings ; 
for though it reveals events long past, they are types of events yet to 
come. The flood, and the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah, are 
types of the destruction of the wicked when Jesus comes again. One 
family only was saved when the flood came, and one family only was 
saved when the cities were burnt ; and one family only will be saved 
when Jesus comes again. It is his own family, the people that he has 
chosen, and called to be his children. But in that one family, who 
were saved when Sodom was destroyed, there was a person who is 
held up as a warning to all who profess to belong to Christ. " Re- 
member Lot's wife." She was almost saved : but yet-^she was lost. 
And why ? Because her heart still clung to the possessions she had 
left in Sodom. The Lord bids us beware of hankering after worldly 
goods. "In that day he which shall be upon the housetop, and his 
stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away." This di- 
rection was literally observed by the disciples when Jerusalem was 
besieged by the Romans, but it is to be spiritually observed tothe end 
of time. Occasions will arise when the people of God must sacrifice 
all they possess rather than be false to their Master's cause. " Who- 
soever shall lose his life shall preserve it." 

It was painful to Lot to leave his wife a pillar of salt upon the plain 
of Sodom. Such separations as Lot then endured will take place 
when Christ comes again. Some who are living in the closest in- 
timacy will be forever separated. The believer will be taken away 
from the side of his unbelieving brother, and transported into the pres- 

43 



338 THE UNJUST JUDGE. [ATJ.G. 4. 

ence of his Lord. None can imagine the despair of those who shall 
be left, or the horrors that will await, them. Who is there who has 
not a believing relation ? How could we bear the idea of seeing that 
holy person soaring away, and leaving us behind ? Now he often in- 
vites us to walk with him in the ways of God — sometimes he prays 
with us, and more frequently still for us. It may seem impossible 
that an affectionate father, or a tender mother, should leave a child be- 
hind to be consumed by the ungodly ; but when the righteous are 
borne by angels into the presence of God, none will be able to mount 
their fiery chariots, but those for whom they are sent. God is willing 
to save all of us. The way is open, and the invitation is free. 
" Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." (Rev. 
xxii. 17.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Gen. VI. The flood. 



Luke XVIII. 1-8. — The parable of the unjust judge. 

This parable has been a great comfort to Christians while waiting 
for the second coming of the Son of man. The Lord had told his 
disciples that he would soon be absent from them. Eighteen hundred 
years have rolled away, and still the church is as a widow, and still 
Satan, her great adversary, is permitted to harass her. But has God 
been like an unjust judge ? No, but he has appeared as if he did not 
hear his people's prayers for deliverance from their enemies. His 
widowed church has cried day and night to him, saying, " Avenge me 
of mine adversary," but God has not yet answered this prayer. He 
has not yet bound Satan with a great chain, and shut him up in the 
bottomless pit. Still our adversary goes about seeking whom he may 
devour ; still he endeavors by various wiles and devices to destroy the 
people of God. And shall he always be permitted to do this ? No ; 
the day appointed for deliverance shall come. God will not say, like 
this unjust judge, " My church troubleth me ; I will avenge her, lest 
by her continual coming she weary me." The Lord is never wearied 
by the supplications of his people, for he has said, " The prayer of the 
upright is his delight." He will say, " I will now avenge mine own 
elect, which cry day and night unto me, though I have borne long with 
them." Then He will send his Son from heaven to deliver his people, 
and to consume their enemies. 

" Nevertheless, when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on 
the earth?" Shall he find that his people have believed that he was 
coming ? Will it not be as it was in the day of the resurrection, that 
even those who loved the Lord remembered not his promise ? The 
angels said to the woman, " He is risen, as he said." Then, and not till 



AUG. 5.] THE PRAYERS OF THE PHARISEE. 339 

then, those women remembered his words. Before Christ comes 
again many will be inclined to say, (like the two disciples going to 
Emmaus,) " We trusted it had been he which should have redeemed 
Israel." 

While waiting for that day, we may go to our God in every hour of 
distress. He can bring to naught (as it is expressed in the Liturgy) 
all the devices which the craft or subtlety of the devil or man worketh 
against us. We always shall find that in the end He will say, " Shall 
I not hear my afflicted child who cries day and night unto me ?" This 
is one of the comforts of his children, that they have a God to whom 
they can go in time of trouble. He is on their side j He takes their 
part. Whether it is disease or death that threatens them, or whether 
it is the persecutions of wicked men, or the temptations of Satan that 
harass them, the Lord is greater than their enemies, and is able to sub- 
due them. He would hear his children at first, only he knows that 
waiting will exercise their faith. Therefore he bears long with them. 
Why did he return answers that appeared severe to the woman of 
Canaan ? Why did he not heed the first summons of the sisters of 
Lazarus ? Why did he suffer Job to pine with long sickness and sor- 
row ? Was it not that he designed to teach his beloved this hard les- 
son, even that he hears them when he seems to disregard ? 

This is a lesson that is not understood by the little ones in Christ's 
school ; they cannot bear delays, and think they are denials ; but as 
their love increases, they can bear apparent neglect, and even repulses, 
without suspecting the loving-kindness of their heavenly Father. They 
know that God is love, and they can reason upon his love, and say, 
" He that spared not his own Son, but gave him up for us all, will he 
not with him also freely give us all things ?" 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Lamentations III. 1-36. Prayer of the Church in trouble. 



Luke XVIII. 9-14. — The Prayers of the Pharisee and of the Pub- 
lican. 

There are thousands of prayers offered up to God every day ; there 
have been thousands offered up this day. Have they all been accept- 
ed ? No ; there are prayers which are not accepted. Are we anxious 
to know whether the prayer we offered up alone this morning was ac- 
cepted or not? — -or did we offer none ? 

What was it rendered the Pharisee's prayer so hateful to God ? It 
was the pride of his heart. His prayer was in truth no prayer at all. 
He boasted, instead of praying ; but he deceived his own heart by 
putting his boast in the form of a thanksgiving. He did not feel thank- 



340 THE RICH YOUNG RULER. [AUG. 6. 

ful when he said, " God, T thank thee I am not as other men." Had 
he felt thankful, he would not have despised the poor publican. How 
different were the feelings of St. Paul, when he said, " By the grace 
of God I am what I am !" When we are thankful, we are filled with 
compassion (not with contempt) for those who are less blessed than 
ourselves. 

How many offer prayers like the Pharisee's, while they use the 
words of the publican ! It is possible with all the pride of a Pharisee 
to smite upon the heart and to say, " Lord, be merciful to me a sin- 
ner !" But the publican felt what he said. He thought himself un- 
worthy to lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven. He stood afar off 
from the Holy of holies, as unfit to enter the presence of God. He 
knew not that ive know of a Saviour's love ; but he must have 
trusted in the promises of pardon to penitent sinners through an atone- 
ment, or he could not have offered up this humble prayer. With 
what joy penitent sinners like this publican receive the tidings of a 
Saviour ! There w T ere such publicans in the Saviour's days, and they 
came to Jesus, and heard his word with thankfulness. 

In what different states the Pharisee and the publican returned from 
the temple to their own houses ! The publican went down a pardoned 
sinner, accepted for the sake of Christ. The Pharisee returned with 
the guilt of his sins upon his head, and that of the proud prayer he 
had offered, added to his former guilt. Pride is the most flagrant sin 
in God's sight. It has ruined multitudes of our fallen race, and it has 
even sunk angels into the bottomless abyss. In what state did we 
come down from our chambers this morning ? Did we come down 
justified, or not? Have we ever made such humble, fervent supplica- 
tions to God as the publican did ? Are we ashamed of ourselves and 
of our sins ? Have we earnestly implored the infinite mercy of God 
in Christ? It is an awful thing to be unjustified or unpardoned. To 
rise up unjustified, — to lie down unjustified, — to go out, — to come in — 
unjustified ! To be exposed to death every moment, and yet — to be 
unjustified ! But this is the state of every one who has not repented 
of his sins, and obtained pardon through the merits of his Saviour. 

Evening Scripture portion. Titus III. Justification by grace. 



Mark X. 17-22. — The rich young ruler. 

It is impossible not to feel interested in this young inquirer. The 
respect he paid to the Lord was rare in a man of rank and property. 
" He kneeled to him, and said, Good master." It is pleasing to see a 
young person anxious to learn the way of salvation. This youth came 
running to inquire what he should do to inherit eternal life. Though 



AUG. 6.] THE RICH YOUNG RULER. 341 

multitudes applied to the Saviour for the cure of their diseases, few- 
inquired how they should obtain salvation for their souls. This young 
man's course of life appears to have been correct, and his disposition 
amiable. We are already disposed to love him, when we read, " The 
Lord beholding him, loved him." Though no doubt Jesus loved all 
his disciples, and though we know that he loves even sinners, yet this 
expression is scarcely used on any other occasion. There was a dis- 
ciple of whom it is said that Jesus loved him, and there was a family 
at Bethany concerning whom the same is recorded. But they were 
his devoted followers, while this youth was not even a believer. Yet 
as the Lord was man, as well as God, he may have loved those quali- 
ties that attract our regard, and are called " amiable." Nothing is 
more amiable in youth than a docile disposition, a respectful demeanor, 
frankness of manner, and earnestness of spirit. All these the youth 
possessed. Even when he received a command that he would not 
obey, he still behaved in an amiable manner, and showed no angry 
resentment, but only deep sorrow. No doubt the Saviour was touched 
by his grief; but he spoke not a word of consolation. He, who com- 
forted all who were cast down, saying, " Weep not," suffered this 
mourner to go away uncomforted. And why ? Because there was 
no comfort for his sorrow. He grieved because the gate was too strait, 
and the way too narrow, that leads to eternal life. There can be no 
consolation for this grief, either in time or in eternity. 

This young ruler did not know he was a sinner, and he did not feel 
his need of a Saviour. Neither did he look upon Jesus as a Saviour, 
but only as a teacher. When the Lord said, " Why callest thou me 
good ? there is none good but God," the young man ought to have re- 
plied, " Thou art the Son of God." But he believed not in Jesus. He 
wished to find out a way by which he might save himself. Therefore 
the Lord showed him his own heart by giving him a commandment 
that he would not choose to obey. He said to him, " Sell all that thou 
hast, and give to the poor." This commandment was given as a test 
whereby to try the youth, to see whether he would do all the Lord 
required. Once God tried Abraham, by commanding him to offer up 
his only son Isaac. Abraham stood the test, and proved that he loved 
the Lord above all. The young man did not stand the test. He 
might have stood an easier test ; he might have been willing to part 
with half his possessions ; he might have been willing to part with all, 
had his possessions not been so great ; — but to part with all his great 
possessions was more than he could bear to do. Some may feel in- 
clined to wonder why the Lord imposed so hard a condition upon a 
young inquirer. They may say, " Is it not written that he does not 
quench the smoking flax, nor break the bruised reed ?" This is true. 
When an afflicted father said with tears, " Help mine unbelief," the 
Lord did not discourage him, for he was as smoking flax. When a 
sinful woman washed his feet with tears, he did not repulse her : for 
she was as a bruised reed. But this young man was not as smoking 



312 THE DANGER OF POSSESSING RICHES. [AUG. 7. 

flax, or as a bruised reed. He had no love for Christ, — no sorrow for 
sin, — no desire for pardon. The most open transgressor, who is con- 
scious that he deserves to be condemned, is nearer salvation than such 
a self-righteous character as this young ruler was. 

It may be that some of us, like this youth, desire to go to heaven. 
We think we are sincere. God may cause some event to happen that 
shall try our hearts, and prove whether we are ready to give up all 
beside, rather than relinquish our hope in Christ. What the trial may 
be cannot be foretold. It will be suited to our particular state. Orpah, 
as well as Ruth, professed great attachment to Naomi, her mother-in- 
law ; but only Ruth clave to her, and to her God, in the midst of pov- 
erty and desolation. Many say to Christ, " Lord, Lord," who would 
not follow him to prison or to death. Those who have not felt their 
need of his blood to cleanse their sinful souls, may think that silver or 
gold, or friends, or fame, is more precious than Christ. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ruth I. The faithful daughter-in-law. 



Mark X. 23-27. — Christ declares the danger of possessing riches. 

Is it indeed so very hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of 
God, and yet are men so anxious to become rich, and so much dis- 
posed to envy the rich, and to count them happy ? Are parents so 
desirous to heap up treasures to leave to their children, and to see them 
occupy a higher station than themselves ? Surely men do not believe 
this declaration of our Saviour. Even the disciples were exceedingly 
astonished at it. Jesus then explained, what he had said, and declared 
that it was those who trusted in riches who could not enter heaven. 
But how hard it is to possess them, and not to trust in them ! 

Let us inquire what it is to trust in riches. It is to feel them to be 
our own, and not the gift of God. Whether we have earned them by 
our industry, or inherited them from our parents, they are not our own, 
but only lent to us, and therefore they ought to be used in promoting 
God's glory. But the rich are apt to be proud, and to forget who gave 
them all they possess. 

To trust in riches is to look to them for happiness. The favor of 
God alone can make us really happy. Outward things cannot do it, 
— neither friends, nor children, nor houses, nor lands — nor all the 
pleasures, comforts, and honors in the world. Even a child has been 
heard to say, " Things cannot make people happy." And how do 
saints now in glory estimate those possessions on which men set their 
hearts ? Do they not regard them as rocks upon which souls are ship- 
wrecked, — as snares in which they are taken, and pierced through 
with many sorrows ? It is true that riches might be converted into 



AUG. 8.] CHRIST PROMISES REWARDS. 343 

blessings. But how much grace does it require to use them aright! 
And how much more grace to feel aright when conscious of having 
great possessions ! Great riches make people forget that they are 
great sinners, and lead them to neglect the great Saviour. The rich 
have many friends, and often they do not feel the need of a heavenly 
and almighty Friend. They have great possessions below, and often 
they are satisfied without an inheritance above. A rich gentleman 
once said to a day-laborer, " Do you know to whom those estates be- 
long on the borders of the lake ?" " No," replied the laborer. " They 
belong to me," said the rich man. " And the wood and the cattle, — 
do you know whose they are ?" " No." " They are mine also," con- 
tinued the rich man ; " yes, all, all that you can see is mine." The 
peasant stood still a moment, then pointed to heaven, and in a solemn 
tone asked, " Is that also thine ?"* 

How apt the rich are to forget to look upwards, and to ask, " Is 
heaven mine ?" Silver and gold cannot purchase it ; nothing but a 
Saviour's precious blood. If an angel were commissioned to preach 
on earth, would he not rather speak to peasants than to princes, — for 
angels must know that they are seldom called to rejoice over a penitent 
clothed in purple and fine linen. When the Gospel is proclaimed in 
hovels, and even in prisons, it has far greater success than when it is 
spoken in courts. A few indeed in the highest stations have been 
subdued by the power of divine grace ; a few honorable counsellors, 
such as Joseph and Nicodemus, have believed ; a few honorable 
women, such as the Viscountess Glenorchy, and the celebrated Count- 
ess of Huntingdon, have devoted themselves to the service of God ; 
a few mighty sovereigns, such as our wise Alfred, and our youthful 
Edward, have honored the King of kings, and the Lord of lords ; but 
the greater part of those who have possessed lands, and riches, who 
have worn crowns, or coronets, have been satisfied with an earthly 
portion, and have not sought to obtain a crown of life, and an inherit- 
ance that fadeth not away. 

Evening Scripture portion. James II. The rich and the poor. 



Matt. XIX. 27 to end. — Christ promises rewards to his faithful 

followers. 

Had Peter spoken in pride wmen he said, "We have forsaken 
all," he would have received rebuke instead of encouragement. He 
had seen the rich young man go away grieved, — he had heard the 

* The Swedish Boy : an interesting little book, published by the Religious Tract So- 
ciety. 



344 CHRIST PROMISES REWARDS. [AUG. 8. 

Lord's declaration respecting the danger of riches, — and his mind re- 
verted to the period when he had been called, and had obeyed the call. 
What occasion was there for gratitude when the disciples thought of 
the time when they first resolved to give up all, and to follow Jesus ! 
There is no season in life upon which the believer looks back with 
such joy, as on that season when he first determined to engage in his 
Redeemer's service. Whether he gave up much or little, he knows 
that in heart he gave up all. He felt willing to give up all whenever 
duty required the sacrifice ; and he actually gave up what is dearer 
than possessions,— doing his own will, and trusting in his own right- 
eousness. 

The Lord's reply to Peter contains two glorious promises. The 
first was addressed to the apostles only ; the second to every one who 
had acted as they had done. The apostles had left fishing-boats, and 
they were promised thrones. Such is the gracious and astonishing 
manner in which God rewards ! When was this promise to be ful- 
filled? In the regeneration, or the new birth of the world. That 
time is spoken of in Rev. xxi. 1, where the apostle John declares, " I 
saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first 
earth were passed away." This glorious time is called in Acts iii. 21, 
" the time of the restitution (or restoring) of all things." It appears 
that the apostles will then be distinguished by peculiar honors, and 
that they will be appointed to judge or rule over the tribes of Israel 
and the saints. But though we speak of these things, we understand 
them very dimly, because we see " through a glass, darkly." 

The second promise that Jesus made is addressed to all who forsake 
any worldly good for his sake. Multitudes have lost their possessions, 
and have been separated from their families, because they chose to 
obey God rather than men. And how has God rewarded them ? Has 
he given them the very things they renounced ? No, not always ; but 
he has given them more happiness, even in this life, than earth could 
have afforded them. They have indeed suffered "persecutions ," but 
their joys have been greater than their sorrows. (Mark x. 30.) 

Worldly things are only desired, because it is supposed that they 
can confer happiness. If any person were convinced that greater hap- 
piness could be obtained by any other means, surely he would not la- 
ment the loss of worldly comforts. How many saints have witnessed, 
that in the hour of outward sorrow they have tasted the purest inward 
joy ! Such was the experience of Rutherford, when imprisoned in 
Aberdeen. In his letters he declared that since he had been in prison, 
he had discovered a sweetness in Christ that he had never conceived 
before. Such was the experience of Dr. Payson. When racked with 
pain in his last illness, he asserted that he felt more satisfaction than 
he had ever known in health. He said, " God has used a strange 
method to make me happy. I could not have believed, a little while 
ago, that in order to render me happy, He would deprive me of the 
use of my limbs, and fill my body with pain. But he has taken away 



AUG. 9.] THE LABORERS IN THE VINEYARD. 345 

every thing else, that he might give me Himself."* And the apostles 
bore the same testimony when they said, " As the sufferings of 
Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ." 
(2 Cor. i. 5.) 

Are there any here who have never yet found happiness ? Are you 
willing to try the experiment, and to see whether God can make you 
happy ? Sin has its pleasures, but they are for a season, and they leave 
a sting behind. Have you not experienced this ? But God bestows 
on his children a calm, a deep, a settled, an abiding joy, which is 
called peace. It cannot be described, for it is not only unspeakable, 
but it passeth all understanding. 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Cor. I. Consolation in sufferings. 



Matt. XX. 1-16. — The parable of the laborers in the vineyard. 

Our Saviour himself tells us what is the meaning of this parable. 
This is the explanation he gave : " The last shall be first, and the first 
last ; for many be called, but few chosen." Those who axe- first in their 
own eyes, will be last in the great day of reckoning ; and those who 
are last in their own eyes, will then be first. This seems to be the 
meaning of the parable. We have no reason to believe that all will 
have an equal reward in the last day : the parable of the talents seems 
to prove that there will be different degrees of glory in the world to 
come. 

In the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, there is a representa- 
tion of the feelings of self-righteous Pharisees toward penitent publi- 
cans. They were enraged at the idea of open sinners partaking with 
them of heavenly bliss. Self-righteous persons, who have led a cor- 
rect life, imagine that they are better than those who turn to God late 
in life. They think they deserve great reward for their self-denial. 
How much will they be astonished at the decisions of the last day ! 
Then they will see open sinners, who have repented, admitted into 
God's presence, and they themselves thrust out ! Little do they think 
that even a murderer, who truly repents in his last hour, is beloved of 
God, while professors of religion, who have never repented, are hate- 
ful in his sight ! Such impenitent persons will not be received into 
heaven. But they will have the torment of beholding those whom 
they despised, welcomed by saints and angels, arrayed in white robes, 
and adorned with golden crowns. How much more exasperated will 
they be at this sight than the envious laborers were at the sight of the 
wages given to those who had worked but one hour ! When they see 

* See Memoir of Mrs. Ann East. 

44 



346 CHRIST RECEIVES A MESSAGE. [AUG. 10. 

penitent sinners received and rewarded, they will expect to be still 
more favored and still more honored. But they will be bitterly dis- 
appointed. They will then find that there is no mansion prepared for 
them in the celestial city. 

The Lord's true servants are not like the murmuring laborers. If 
called early to work in his vineyard, they rejoice the more. They are 
not proud of having spent their youth in the service of God, but thank- 
ful for the great mercy shown to them. They pity those who were 
groaning under the bondage of Satan, while they were rejoicing in the 
liberty of Christ. How different from theirs was the spirit of those 
laborers who said, they had borne the burden and heat of the day ! 
Those who do not love God, find his commandments grievous ; but 
those who have experienced his pardoning mercy, call his yoke easy 
and his burden light. Do we think those the happiest who spend their 
lives in sin, and who, like the dying thief, are pardoned in their ex- 
piring moments ? Or do we esteem those happiest who serve the 
Lord, like Joseph, from their youth, or like Samuel, from early child- 
hood l 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Chron. XXXIV. 1-28. Josiah's early piety. 



John XL 1-6. — Christ receives a message from Martha and Mary 

The conduct of our blessed Redeemer towards the beloved family 
at Bethany, sheds light upon his dealings with his saints now upon 
earth. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, were firmly attached to their 
Lord, and they could stand trials that weaker saints could not have en- 
dured. 

The Lord did not delay to heal the nobleman's son, nor Jairus' 
daughter, but he delayed to speak the word on behalf of Mary's brother. 
What was the reason of this difference ? Mary and her sister knew 
their Lord well ; they had experienced his faithfulness in times past ; 
they could trust his love, even in the midst of apparent neglect. 

When Lazarus was taken ill, his sisters deeply regretted the ab- 
sence of their Lord, but they knew where he was, and they sent a 
messenger to acquaint him with their grief. The words of the mes- 
sage were few and touching, " Behold he whom thou lovest is sick." 
The sisters did not request that Jesus would come ; they laid their 
case before him, and left it to his never-failing love to act as he saw 
fit. Here is an example for our prayers. It is a comfort in distress 
to spread our wants and woes before the Lord ; but it is best to leave 
it to his wisdom to decide how to relieve us. 

The answer Jesus gave to the message was very encouraging. 
"This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the 



AUG. 11.] CHRIST SETS OUT FOR BETHANY. 347 

Son of God might be glorified thereby." Yet it seems probable that 
Lazarus expired before the message could be delivered to the weeping 
sisters. It must have come too late to give them comfort. 

But the dying chamber, the funeral scene, the days of mourning, 
were all appointed "for the glory of God." We naturally imagine 
that God is most glorified by preventing evil ; but we know from his 
own declarations that he is more glorified by redeeming from evil. 
The fall of angeis and of man will in the end bring more glory to God 
than would have arisen had these evils been prevented ; for then the 
wonders of redemption could never have been displayed. It is a de- 
light to the righteous to promote the glory of their heavenly Father. 
They would willingly endure sufferings for this purpose. We heard 
a little while ago of a man who was born blind, that the works of God 
might be made manifest in him : we now hear of one who died for the 
same end. Believers even now die, not as a punishment for sin, but 
in order to promote the glory of God. Christ has suffered for their 
sins, and borne all their punishment, but he appoints that they should 
die, that at the last day he may raise them all for his own glory. 
When he shall say, " Come up hither," then great fear will fall on 
those who behold them ascending in a cloud to meet their Lord in the 
air. 

Theirs will be a more glorious resurrection than that of Lazarus, for 
he rose to die again ; but those who are made alive at the last day will 
die no more. 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Thess. IV. The resurrection of the saints. 



John XL 7-16. — Christ sets out for Bethany. 

It seems wonderful that though the disciples had lived with the 
Lord three years, they should continue to misunderstand his words. 
They supposed that his motive for not going to heal the afflicted 
Lazarus, was fear of the Jews. For when he said, " Let us go into 
Judea again," they expressed their surprise. He replied by a short 
parable. He compared himself to a man who walked in the day, and 
who walked safely, because he enjoyed the light of the sun. He him- 
self was light, and therefore could never fall into unforeseen danger. 
He knew that his hour was come, and that it was time to work his 
most stupendous miracle. When his hour was not come, he took 
pains to conceal his glorious works, that he might not too soon exas- 
perate his enemies ; but now he desired to fall into their cruel hands, 
that he might finish the work his Father had given him to do. 

We do not possess foreknowledge ; we do not know what things 
will befall us in any place to which we are going ; yet if we follow 



348 CHRIST AGAIN PREDICTS HIS SUFFERINGS. [aug. 12. 

Jesus, we do not walk in darkness. It is true we are blind, but our 
guide is not ; therefore we are as safe as if we ourselves possessed 
eye-sight. When we are going to take a step in life, if we find that 
the word of God pronounces it to be right, and that the providence of 
God opens the way, we need not apprehend evil. How safe were the 
disciples while conducted by their Master from place to place ! Yet 
they knew not their own security. Thomas seems to have said with 
a wavering faith, and a fearful heart, " Let us also go, that we may 
die with him." 

How was it the disciples did not comprehend their Master when he 
said, " Our friend Lazarus sleepeth . ? " He taught them by this figura- 
tive language many sacred truths. He showed them that the com- 
monest actions (such as sleeping) represent spiritual truths. Jesus 
was patient with his dull scholars, and explained his meaning, saying, 
" Lazarus is dead." These words could not be misunderstood ; — but 
those that followed were mysterious. " I was glad for your sakes that 
I was not there, to the intent ye may believe." The raising of Lazarus 
was to effect more than one purpose. It was intended not only to 
convince unbelievers, but also to strengthen the faith of believers. The 
disciples were on the brink of an event that would call for the exercise 
of the strongest faith. Soon they would see their own Lord lying in 
his tomb. Never since the beginning of the world were the people of 
God exposed to so great a trial of faith, as the disciples then endured. 
To see Him on whom all their hopes for eternity depended, to see 
Him a breathless corpse, — was there ever any trial to be compared 
to this ? Therefore, before the trial came, the Lord by every method 
sought to strengthen the faith of his poor weak disciples. 

He foresees our trials, and often, before he inflicts a severe stroke, 
he prepares us for it by various and wonderful methods. Sometimes 
he prepares us by leading us to the sick bed of a sufferer, and by let- 
ting us hear him tell how the Lord sustained him ; sometimes by 
shading one of our props without removing it ; and sometimes by be- 
stowing great and astonishing mercies. The whole process cannot be 
understood now, but it will be made plain to the saints in glory. What 
delight it will afford above to trace the Lord's dealings with our souls, 
andlo discover the secret causes of the events of his providence ! 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts 1-19. St. Paul's willingness to suffer. 



MarkX. 32-34. — Christ again predicts his sufferings. 

As we read the history of our Saviour, we are continually struck by 
the union of courage and of tenderness in his character. He was now 
on his way to comfort two weeping sisters, by raising their beloved 



AUG. 12.] CHRIST AGAIN PREDICTS HIS SUFFERINGS. 349 

brother from the grave. He was also on his way to the place of his 
own execution. Bethany was a village very near to Jerusalem. What 
different scenes were soon to be witnessed at those two places ! In 
Bethany the Lord would restore another's life ; in Jerusalem lay dowm 
his own ! But though he knew the painful trials that awaited him, 
He went willingly to the appointed spot, while his fearful disciples fol- 
lowed him reluctantly. Had we seen them on their journey, we might 
have supposed that one of them was going to receive honors, and the 
rest to endure sufferings. Whereas it was He who went boldly be- 
fore, that was to be the victim, while those who followed trembling 
were to escape. , 

The Lord Jesus took his disciples apart to unfold to them the his- 
tory of his approaching sufferings. He took them apart, because he 
did not choose to declare before his enemies the deeds which they 
would commit against him ; for such declarations would have em- 
boldened them in wickedness. But to his own disciples he revealed 
even the particulars of the awful transactions. On this occasion it is 
recorded for the first time that he spoke of his deliverance to the Gen- 
tiles, and of the insulting spitting of his enemies. These degrading 
circumstances were now unfolded to his disciples, who revered him as 
the Son of God. Had they understood the meaning of their Master's 
words, their feelings would have been outraged, and harrowed up to 
the utmost pitch. Yet the words seem so plain that we can scarcely 
conceive how they could have been misunderstood. But, perhaps, as 
the Lord often used figurative language, the disciples supposed that 
his prophecies concerning himself were figurative ; perhaps, though 
they often understood him literally when he was speaking figuratively, 
they thought he was speaking figuratively when he was speaking liter- 
ally. This is still the great difficulty in the interpretation of prophecy, 
— to distinguish the figurative from the literal ; and perhaps future 
ages will show that the church in these days has fallen into some of 
the same errors as the apostles. 

Great was the loss they sustained in consequence of their slowness 
of understanding. Had they been prepared to see their Lord bleeding 
on the cross, they would not have forsaken him in the hour of distress ; 
and had they kept in mind the promise of his rising again, they would 
have been spared the bitterest tears they ever shed. That day of bit- 
ter tears during which the Prince of Life lay in his tomb, would have 
been to them a day of bright hopes, had they remembered his words. 
With what joy would they have hastened to the grave on the dawn of 
the third day, if they had expected to hear that he was risen ! In look- 
ing back on our past lives, can we not remember many seasons which 
would not have been so sad had we remembered the Saviour's gracious 
promises ? — seasons of doubt and perplexity ; — seasons of suspense 
and anxiety ; — seasons of disappointment ; — seasons of bereavement ; 
— seasons of darkness and of the shadow of death ? When those sea- 
sons have been past we have felt, " had I from the beginning of the 



350 THE REQUEST OF THE MOTHER [aUG. 13. 

trial, and throughout its course, remembered my Lord's words, ' Fear 
not, I am with thee,' and many like words, what bitter pangs should I 
have been spared !" In all our troubles here below there is one prom- 
ise that ought, above all, to cheer us. It is his promise, " I will come 
again, and receive you to myself." The words are plain. " He will 
come again !" he will actually come in a glorious body, and our eyes 
shall behold him. Come, Lord Jesus ! come quickly. 

Evening Scripture portion. Isa. XLIII. Encouragement to trvst in God. 



Matt. XX. 20-28. — The request of the mother and sons of Zebedee. 

Was it a right request that the sons of Zebedee made when they 
asked to sit at the right and left hand of their Lord in his glory ? Was 
it right in their mother to plead that this honor might be conferred on 
her children ? A desire to be first is natural to the human heart in its 
fallen state ; but this desire is the cause of the greater part of the dis- 
quietude and discontent that prevail among men. All cannot be first ; 
therefore if all desire to be first, all but one must be disappointed. 
And will that one be happy ? None are so miserable as the proud. 
Nebuchadnezzar, the first monarch of his day, was a miserable man. 
What an account we read in the prophet Daniel of his fears, and tre- 
mors, and rage ! On one occasion his spirit was troubled by his 
dreams, and on another through his fury the form of his visage was 
changed. No creature can be happy from his own greatness : but only 
from knowing the greatness of God. The angels are happy, because 
they delight in seeing God upon his throne. Adam and Eve were 
happy in the garden of Eden till they desired to be as gods ; then, 
ceasing to delight in the glory of their Creator, they became miserable. 
When the Holy Spirit enters the heart of man, he begins his work by 
casting down " every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowl- 
edge of God." (1 Cor. x. 5.) 

Yet true believers are troubled, as long as they remain on earth, 
with sinful feelings ; though, as they grow in grace, they grow in hu- 
mility. The apostles, at their last supper with their Lord, disputed 
who should be greatest. Let us be on our guard against the secret 
workings of ambition. We have perhaps ceased to desire the great 
things of this world. We have perhaps no desire to shine in gay cir- 
cles, or to be commended by irreligious persons. But do we cherish 
a wish to be thought much of by religious people ? to be commended 
above our fellow-Christians ? to be more noticed, more admired, more 
honored ? Whereas we ought to esteem others better than ourselves. 
Our Saviour has set the most wonderful example of humility by coming 
into this world to minister to us, and even to give his own precious 



AUG. 13.] AND SONS OF ZEBEDEE. 351 

life as a ransom for our sinful souls. Yet with what gentleness he 
answered the two brethren ! . He knew they had forsaken all to fol- 
low him ; he knew that they would prefer shame and suffering with 
him, to any honor or joy apart from him ; therefore he treated them 
with tenderness, though he did not promise to grant their request. 

The words in ver. 23, " It shall be given to them," are written in 
italics to show that they were inserted by the translators in order to 
make the sense clear : yet, perhaps, if they were omitted the sense 
would be more clear : for Jesus did not say that it was not in his 
power to give the most honorable seats to whom he would. We know 
that whatsoever the Father doeth, the Son doeth likewise. (John v. 
19.) This is what he said : "To sit on my right and on my left hand 
is not mine to give, but for whom it is prepared of my Father." The 
Son will bestow honor according to the decrees of the Father. 

Though the Saviour concealed from the apostles what they desired 
to know, he told them some things that must have been strange and 
unwelcome. He revealed to them that they must partake of his own 
bitter sufferings. This is the first time in which it is recorded that he 
spoke so openly of the sufferings of his apostles. The terms in which 
he spoke of their future trials were suited to sweeten them to their 
affectionate hearts. It was out of his own cup the two brethren were 
to drink, and in his own baptism they were to be baptized. It is this 
thought that has sustained many believers under persecution, and has 
strengthened them even to endure the burning flame, or the bloody 
cross. But not martyrs only, — all true Christians suffer with their 
Lord. There is no sorrow that we can ever experience that our Lord 
lias not tasted first ; and be has tasted it, not only that he might take 
away our guilt, but also that he might sympathize in our grief. He 
knew all that James and John would be called to endure ; and he 
knows also what each of us will be appointed to bear. He could have 
told James that the sword of Herod would cut short his days before 
those of any of the other apostles, and he could have told John that the 
cruel decree of Domitian would banish him in his old age to the Isle 
of Patmos, to dwell among convicted criminals. And he could tell 
each of us what losses we shall sustain, what pangs we shall suffer, 
what death we shall die. But he forbears to tell us more than that 
through much tribulation we must enter the kingdom of God. Who 
shall occupy the places at his right hand and at his left he has re- 
vealed to none ; but though their names are secret, their characters are 
manifest : they will be humble. Whether they will be missionaries, 
or martyrs, or whether they will be beggars or slaves, we know not ; 
but this we know, they will be self-denying and self-abased followers 
of their lowly Lord. 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Cor. X. Against vain-glory. 






.152 BLIND BARTIMAEUS. [aUG. 14. 



Mark X. 46 to end. — Blind Bartimceus. 

In the history of earthly princes we do not often hear of the poor 
and afflicted, but of brave generals and wise senators. In the history 
of the Prince of peace we meet continually with anecdotes of beggars 
and outcasts. Those whom men overlooked and spurned were the 
objects of his most tender regard. The blind, as among the most 
helpless, received signal tokens of his favor. On one occasion we 
read of a blind man who was brought to him by his friend. (See 
Mark ix.) Bartimaeus appears to have had no friends to assist him ; 
if he had a friend, it was that blind man who sat with him begging, 
and was as helpless as himself. Far from being encouraged to come 
to Jesus, he was rebuked by the multitude, and charged to hold his 
peace. Many persons anxious about their salvation have been placed 
in the same circumstances. No friend has offered to lead them to the 
Saviour, while many have rebuked them for their concern about their 
souls. 

On another occasion the Lord passed by a blind man, and restored 
his sight without waiting to be asked, for that blind man knew neither 
the Saviour's name, nor his power, till they were revealed to him 
by the Lord himself. (See John ix.) Bartimagus, far from being 
noticed by the Lord, could obtain for a long while no answer to his 
earnest entreaties. His case was more trying than that of the woman 
of Canaan ; for stern answers were less discouraging than no answers 
at all. Besides, she could follow Jesus with her cries, while Barti- 
mseus from his blindness was unable to find his way to his Lord. 
Jesus was passing by — would soon be past — might never pass that 
way again, (as indeed he never did ;) it was a short opportunity ; it 
seemed likely it would be the only one. All things were against the 
poor blind beggar ; but instead of being disheartened, he " cried the 
more a great deal." There are some who leave off praying without 
having suffered as much discouragement as poor Bartimaeus. If their 
cold and careless prayers do not receive an immediate answer, they 
are ready to give up the case as lost, and to try no more. But those 
who persevere in fervent prayer shall be blessed with blind Bartimaeus. 

At length Jesus stood still. Thus he honored the beggar in the 
presence of the surrounding crowds. He commanded him to be 
called. Those who had before rebuked him, must now have felt 
ashamed. The blind man was evidently agitated and distressed, for 
those who called him said, " Be of good comfort, rise ; he calleth 
thee." What a joyful moment was this ! With what haste the poor 
man obeyed the summons ! He cast away his outer garment, that it 
might not retard his movements, and approached his compassionate 
friend. Though the Lord well knew his desire, he induced him to 
express it in his own words : for he loves to hear the petitions of his 
people. Not only did he bestow sight on Bartimaeus, but he pro- 



AUG. 15.] ZACCHEUS. 353 

nounced these words of commendation : " Thy faith hath made thee 
whole." This assurance must have been dearer to the poor beggar 
than even his bodily sight, for it implied a promise of eternal blessed- 
ness. Though the Saviour said, " Go thy way," yet the grateful man 
followed his deliverer. 

Thus as the Lord journeyed towards Jerusalem, he gathered in his 
train fresh monuments of his power. The march of earthly con- 
querors is tracked with blood ; smoking villages and mangled corpses 
mark the way which they have trodden, while weeping captives are 
chained to their triumphal chariots. But the Saviour left joy behind him 
wherever He went, and collected new trophies of his mercy. Thus 
will He come at the last day. He will bring his saints with him ; he 
will be attended by those whom he has rescued from the darkness and 
blindness of sin and death, from the grave and its corruption, from 
hell and its horrors. Shall we belong to that triumphant band ? Has 
Jesus opened the eyes of our minds ? Do we now follow him in the 
way? 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. LXXXVI. Prayer for mercy. 



Luke XIX. 1-10. — Zaccheus. 

In this history we find an instance of a spiritual cure wrought by 
the Lord. Opening the eyes of Bartimaeus was not so great a work as 
opening the heart of Zaccheus. Though the Lord was continually 
healing the lame and the blind, yet it was not to heal them he came 
into the world. For what did he come? Hear his own declaration : 
" The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which is lost." 
But men in general (not being aware of their lost condition) did not 
apply to him for salvation, as they did for the healing of their bodily 
infirmities. Zaccheus did not cry for mercy as Bartimaeus did. His 
desire was to see this wonderful prophet, of whom he had heard so 
much. For this purpose, being little of stature, he climbed into a 
tree. It is probable he would have been satisfied had he obtained a 
good view of the Saviour, as he passed beneath. How much aston- 
ished he must have felt when the Lord, upon coming to the place, 
looked up and said, " Zaccheus, make haste and come down, for to- 
day I must abide at thy house !" He must have been ready to ex- 
claim, as Nathanael once did, " Whence knowest thou me ?" It was 
evident the Lord knew not only his name, but his circumstances. He 
knew that he had a house in which he could receive guests. He 
knew more than this ; he knew his heart : he was sure that Zaccheus 
was willing to entertain him beneath his roof : He must have known 

45 



354 ZACCHEUS. [aug. 15 

it, for He Himself had made him willing. On no other occasion is it 
recorded that he entered without invitation the house of a stranger. 

It was indeed a singular honor that was conferred upon Zaccheus. 
It was his privilege to show hospitality to his Lord at the very begin- 
ning of his acquaintance with him ; and he seems to have been con- 
scious of the greatness of the privilege, for he came down the tree 
with haste, and received him joyfully. Whence arose his joy ? 
Though curiosity may have been his only motive for ascending the 
tree, yet some higher principle seems to have actuated him before he 
descended. Like NathanaeJ and the woman of Samaria, he may have 
felt that none but the true Messiah could have such knowledge of him 
and of his circumstances. No wonder he rejoiced in the prospect of 
an opportunity of conversation with Him who knew all things. 

Very interesting intercourse must have taken place beneath the roof 
of Zaccheus ; but very little is recorded. In a short space of time, 
the master of the house had learned so much of the will of his Lord, 
as to stand up and make public declarations and confessions. He de- 
clared he would give half of his goods to the poor : he confessed that 
he had by false accusations (or by overcharging when he gathered the 
public taxes) defrauded some persons : he promised to restore to 
them four times what he had taken. It is a good sign when those who 
are impressed with religious truth begin by making restitution, asking 
pardon of those whom they have offended, and adopting an entirely 
new course of life. 

The gracious Saviour was not slow to honor the good resolutions 
of Zaccheus. He gave him the title of a son of Abraham ; thus 
showing that it w r as his faith that had produced his holy determination. 
Had the honorable young ruler possessed the faith of Zaccheus, he 
w r ould not have refused to part with all his possessions at the command 
of Christ. But, notwithstanding his attractive qualities, he was desti- 
tute of that precious grace. Zaccheus possessed it, and would have 
held back nothing from his Lord that he had been called to give up. 
No doubt he would have gladly followed him in the way ; but it 
seems he had duties to discharge at home. It was his part to endea- 
vor to bring every member of his household to the knowledge of his 
Saviour. Could he forget the encouraging assurance, " This day is 
salvation come to this house /" Those who belonged to his family 
might henceforth count themselves blessed. The visit of their divine 
guest was to them the earnest of eternal bliss. 

There is a period in the history of some families when true religion 
first finds admittance. Various are the means by which it gains en- 
trance : sometimes it is through a pious friend, and sometimes through 
a pious servant : in some cases the family are led to hear a faithful 
minister, in others — to read a holy book : but whatever are the means 
employed, that period is memorable indeed when the first member of 
a family turns to the Lord with all his heart. That member will not 
rest satisfied with serving God alone ; he will offer prayers, and use 



AUG. 16.] PARABLE OF THE TEN POUNDS. 355 

persuasions, till his children or his parents, his brethren and his sis- 
ters, unite in the same blessed service. 

Evening Scripture portion. Joshua XXIV. Holy resolutions. 



Luke XIX. 11-19. — The first part of the parable of the ten 

pounds. 

This parable was related to correct a mistake into 'which many of 
the Lord's disciples had fallen. They thought that the kingdom of 
God should immediately appear. They were not wrong in supposing 
that the kingdom of God would one day be established upon the 
earth ; for it will be set up with power and great glory ; but they were 
wrong in supposing that the time was already come. There will be 
great voices in heaven, saying, " The kingdoms of this world are be- 
come the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign 
forever and ever." But before those acclamations will be heard, many 
events must take place. The Lord had already prepared James and 
John for enduring sufferings, before they could be exalted to honor ; 
and now he prepared all his disciples for performing services before 
they could partake of rewards. Zaccheus had just shown his willing- 
ness to serve the Lord, by making promises of restitution to the in- 
jured, and of liberality to the poor. His spirit ought to be the spirit 
of all the followers of Christ. Though we can only be saved by free 
grace, yet we must show our gratitude for this free salvation by our 
ivorks. 

The Lord Jesus compared himself in this parable to a nobleman who 
went into a far country, to receive a kingdom from his monarch, and 
who returned to that kingdom to take possession of it. It was in this 
manner that Judea and Galilee were bestowed by the Emperor of 
Rome upon those noblemen who ruled over them. The rulers were 
invested with their power at Rome, and when invested they returned 
to the countries they were appointed to govern. 

Before the nobleman in the parable departed, he intrusted each of 
his ten servants with a pound. Thus, before the Lord ascended to his 
Father, he charged all his disciples to serve him faithfully until the 
day of his return. It was not the apostles alone who received this 
charge. All who believe in Christ are bound to devote themselves to 
his service. 

The pound represents those various ways of doing good which God 
has placed within our reach. Though in this parable each servant had 
the same sum committed to his keeping, yet another parable shows us 
that all Christians do not enjoy equal opportunities of usefulness : but 
all enjoy some, and all are required to improve those they possess. 



356 PARABLE OF THE TEN POUNDS. [aUG. 16 

In the days of the apostles believers were endowed with miraculous 
powers, which they were bound to use in the service of their Lord : 
as St. Paul declares, " The manifestation of the Spirit is given to 
every man to profit withal." (1 Cor. xii. 7.) In these days, though 
miraculous powers are no longer possessed, there are many ways in 
which good may be done. 

By gifts, by instruction, by example, and by prayer, Christians may 
promote the glory of God. 

Those who possess property can bestow bread on the hungry, and 
scatter food for the soul by distributing Bibles and tracts, and by pro- 
moting the preaching of the gospel all over the world. 

But some who are not able to give much are able to instruct. A 
word dropped in season, even by a child, has sometimes saved a soul. 

Example is still more powerful than instruction. Those who would 
be offended by advice, are often convinced by a holy life, a meek de- 
meanor, and a forgiving spirit. Therefore the apostle Peter charges 
those women who have unbelieving husbands, to endeavor to win them 
by their Christian behavior. (1 Peter iii. 1.) 

There is another mode of doing good, which, though the most se- 
cret of all, is the most effectual : it is prayer. The good that prayer 
has done will never be known till the last day. Then it will be seen 
that those who could be useful in scarcely any other way, brought 
down blessings by their prayers. It is recorded of a poor man, who 
w r as for a long season confined to his bed by sickness, that he made it 
his daily employment to pray that light might enter the various dark 
villages in his neighborhood. Every one of those villages for which 
he thus separately prayed, enjoyed, in the course of a few years, the 
light of the Gospel. It will often be found that conversions are an- 
swers to the prayers of some pious relation. Delightful discoveries 
will hereafter be made concerning our obligations to those who prayed 
for us. 

It may well astonish us to think the Lord will reward the imperfect 
services of his sinful creatures. Even our prayers are mixed with sin. 
Every good action has some alloy of evil in the motive, some defect in 
the performance, and is too often followed by self-complacence in the 
recollection. The same precious blood which blotted out our sinful 
deeds, is needed to cleanse our righteous deeds from all their pollu- 
tions. Never will the faithful servants of Christ feel more abased in 
their own eyes than when they hear their Master say, "Well done." 
Even the angels, who have done the will of God without fault since 
the creation, count it a privilege to be permitted to serve him. What, 
then, will those who have served him so imperfectly, feel when they 
are exalted to posts of honor, and intrusted with authority and power! 

Evening Scripture portion. Rom. XII. Christian duties. 



AUG. 17.] PARABLE OF THE TEN POUNDS. 357 



Luke XIX. 20-28. — The last part of the parable of the ten pounds. 

This parable contains a most solemn warning to the professed ser- 
vants of Christ. Not to live to God's glory is a fatal sin. To make 
no efforts to please our heavenly Master is a sign that we do not love 
him. Did that servant love him who hid the pound in a napkin ? His 
language, as well as his conduct, proves that he did not. What a 
character he ascribes to his Lord ! He calls him an austere man, one 
who is rigorous, exacting, and severe. Who could love such a Mas- 
ter ! Those who think in this manner of God do not try to please 
him. They give up the attempt in despair. They say to themselves, 
" If I were to give away large sums, perhaps I should only waste my 
money and do no good. If I were to labor from morning to night in 
teaching and exhorting, perhaps I should only waste my breath ; no 
one might attend to my instructions. If I were to pray without ceas- 
ing for the conversion of my fellow-creatures, perhaps God would not 
grant my prayers." 

It is very wicked to entertain such thoughts, for God has given gra- 
cious promises of success to those who labor in his service. He has 
said, " Cast thy bread upon the waters, and thou shalt find it after 
many days." (Eccles. xi. 1.) He has said again, "He that goeth 
forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with 
joy, bringing his sheaves with him." (Ps. cxxvi. 6.) He has said 
again, " Whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall re- 
ceive." (Matt. xxi. 22.) 

If, notwithstanding all these promises, we persist in thinking that 
God might leave us to labor in vain, we make him a liar. Sometimes 
God does not grant speedy success, but he remembers what each does 
for his name's sake, and he will acknowledge every effort at the last 
day. In general he blesses the labors of his servants beyond their 
highest expectations. Ask aged believers who devoted themselves 
early to his service, whether they expected, at the beginning of their 
course, to reap so rich a blessing as they have reaped. The words of 
the dying Count Zindendorf are memorable. He said, " I expected 
to bring but a few heathen to the knowledge of the Lord, and, lo ! 
thousands have believed." Mr. Charles, of Bala, little thought, when 
he was seeking a method by which to supply Wales with Bibles, that 
his desire would lead to the formation of a Society which should fill 
the world with Bibles. The last day will fully show what abundant 
showers of blessings have attended the labors of the faithful. Some 
who have scattered innumerable tracts, and who have not known what 
became of them, will then learn the histories of those silent messen- 
gers, to their own unspeakable joy. 

But what will be the overwhelming sorrow of those who have done 
nothing for their Lord ! The pound they possessed will be taken 
away from them. No further opportunities of glorifying God will be 



358 CHRIST CONVERSES WITH MARTHA. [AUG. 18 - 

granted to them. In hell there is no possibility of serving Him. But 
in heaven there will be opportunities of glorifying Him through the 
ages of eternity. The saints will not find their rest less refreshing, 
because it will be spent in the worship of God, and in labors of love. 

The last words of the parable contain an allusion to those enemies 
whom the Lord was going to encounter at Jerusalem — those enemies 
who said, " We will not have this man to reign over us." How won- 
derful was the courage with which the Shepherd led his little flock 
towards the scene of his own painful death ! He went before, ascend- 
ing up to Jerusalem. How insignificant are all the services which we 
can perform to please him, when compared with the sufferings he en- 
dured to save us ! 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts IX. 32 to end. Dorcas. 



John XI. 17-27. — Christ converses with Martha at Bethany. 

How mingled were the feelings with which Martha went to meet 
her heavenly Friend ! Joy she must have felt because he was come 
at last — grief because he had not come sooner. It appeared to her an 
unfortunate coincidence that her brother should have been seized with 
a fatal illness at a time when Jesus was absent. She expressed this 
feeling as soon as she beheld him, saying, " If thou hadst been here 
my brother had not died." But what appeared an unfortunate coinci- 
dence was in truth a divine arrangement. The Lord himself viewed 
these circumstances in a different light, when he said to his disciples, 
" I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye might 
believe." 

But why did Martha say, "If thou hadst been here." Was not 
Jesus always there and everywhere ? Yes ; but she knew it not. 
She needed not have sent a messenger to inform him of her brother's 
illness : a prayer would have reached him from the furthest end of the 
world. He witnessed the expiring agonies of Lazarus, and told his 
disciples when he fell asleep. There is not one of his numerous 
family that has occasion to say with a sigh, " If thou hadst been here." 
When those we love droop and die, it is not because Jesus is not near, 
but because he designs to bring us nearer to himself by separating us 
from the creature. 

It was natural that Martha should have hoped for the restoration of 
her brother, when she had heard of so many being restored to health 
who were not reckoned among the friends of Jesus. It seemed hard 
to her that one he so tenderly loved should not participate in those 
benefits. Some faint hope was lingering in her heart when she said, 
" But I know that even now whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God 



AUG. 19.] CHRIST CONVERSES WITH MARTHA 359 

will give it thee." Though she does not appear to have understood 
fully the power of Jesus, yet she understood one important truth, that 
he continually taught to his disciples. It was this : that the Father 
loved his Son, and granted all his petitions. The Son of God is the 
channel of the Father's mercy. Whatever we desire we must ask in 
his name, for we can only receive it through Him. 

The Lord's reply was suited to fill Martha's heart with joy, " Thy 
brother shall rise again." Had Jesus added the words " this day," 
the sorrowing sister would indeed have rejoiced : but she was unsatis- 
fied with the distant prospect of the resurrection at the last day. She 
wanted her brother's society to cheer her while she lived ; and she 
was not willing to wait till all the just should rise to enjoy eternal life. 
The gentle Saviour did not rebuke the human weakness betrayed in 
the hour of sorrow. But he made use of this opportunity to instruct 
her concerning spiritual truths. Had she in former days, like Mary, 
sat at his feet, perhaps she would have been more familiar with divine 
doctrines. 

How many' hearts have thrilled, in hearing these words uttered 
when the beloved form of a child or a parent, a brother or a sister, has 
been carried to the grave ! " I am the resurrection and the life ; he 
thafrbelieveth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and who- 
soever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." 

The Saviour taught by these declarations, that none really live, ex- 
cept those who believe in him ; and that none really die, except those 
who do not "believe. To breathe, — to move, — to feel pain or pleasure, 
— that is not to live : to know God, — to love him, — to be like him, — 
that is to live indeed. To lie for a time in the tomb while the spirit 
rests above, — that is not to die ; to be cast into the lake of fire, — that 
is to die. Do we believe this ? Then are we happy indeed, if we 
can say with Martha, " I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of 
God, which should come into the world." If we really believe this, 
we live now the only happy life that can be enjoyed on earth ; if we 
really believe this we shall never die, but only fall asleep in Jesus. 

Many on their dying beds, when they have been asked whether 
Jesus was precious, have replied, " Never so precious as now." But 
it is not only on our own dying-beds that we may hope to feel him 
precious. When we see the eyes we loved closed in death, then we feel 
that we owe all the peace we shall henceforth enjoy to Him in whom 
the dear departed sleeps securely; then we feel, "Were it not for Jesus, 
I should have no hopes of seeing my friend, my child again ; nor any 
assurance that he is happy while absent from me. But now, when I 
lie down, I think his spirit needs no rest ; and when I rise up, I think, 
while I have been resting, his spirit has been uniting with the angels— 

' Who all night long unwearied sing 
The praises of their heavenly king.' " 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Cor. XV. 1-34. The power of Christ's resurrection. 






360 CHRIST GOES TO THE TOMB OF LAZARUS. [AUG. 19, 



John XI. 28-36. — Christ goes to the tomb of Lazarus. 

No other words could have conveyed such joy to Mary's heart as 
those that Martha whispered in her ear, " The Master is come, he 
calleth for thee." Yet her joy was mingled with bitter regrets that 
she had not heard the welcome tidings before Lazarus expired. 

Martha called her sister secretly. Perhaps she did not wish that 
the Jews who sat around should accompany them to meet their Lord, 
for many of those Jews did not believe in him. The presence of un- 
believers is felt to be a painful constraint by those who desire to open 
their hearts to Jesus. It will be one of the delights of heaven to feel 
that every thing there sympathizes in all the communications that take 
place between the saints and their Saviour. 

But these Jews appear to have been much interested in Mary's 
grief ; and when they saw her arise they followed her, thinking she 
was going to weep at her brother's grave. They little imagined how 
wonderful a scene they would soon behold. They must have been 
astonished to see Jesus waiting on the road. Mary then fell down at 
his feet, and uttered the very same words that Martha had used before, 
" If thou hadst been here my brother had not died." This was all 
that Mary could express. It appears that her grief was more over- 
whelming than her sister's. We do not hear that Martha fell down at 
the Redeemer's feet ; nor that she wept as Mary did. Some spirits 
are more bowed down by grief than others. The Lord, knows the 
frame of each of his creatures, and what each is able to bear. We 
are apt to pass harsh judgments upon one another ; sometimes calling 
those unfeeling who sustain sorrow with composure, and looking upon 
others as rebellious against God who faint beneath its weight. But 
the Lord deals gently with the sorrowful: instead of reproving Mary's 
tears, he shed tears also. 

Next to the history of his shedding his blood, this is the most touch- 
ing, which tells us of his shedding tears. These tears were the tokens 
of deep trouble within. Before he shed them, it is said that " he 
groaned in spirit, and was troubled." Though he knew that Mary's 
grief would soon be assuaged, he felt for her actual sorrow ; and not 
for hers only, but for the sorrow of the unbelieving Jews that accom- 
panied her. There is nothing that so much solaces a mourner as to 
feel that he does not mourn alone. There is not one who has heard 
how Jesus shed these tears who ought to think he mourns alone. 
Even if he does not love the Saviour, yet that Saviour feels for him, 
because he is the work of his own hands. 

But it was not sympathy alone that he bestowed upon the weeping 
train; he hastened to remove the cause of their sorrow, saying, " Where 
have ye laid him ?" Even we (selfish as we are) have experienced 
the sweetness of giving pleasure, especially to those we love. But 
who can conceive the delight the Redeemer felt whenever he caused 



AUG. 20.] THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS, 361 

his children to rejoice ! This was the bright color in his sorrowful 
life ; he created more joy than any being has ever done that has dwelt 
upon earth. How his gracious heart must have glowed with the an- 
ticipation of the approaching scene, as he advanced towards the tomb 
of Lazarus ! And now, as years roll on, our Redeemer sees the day 
approaching which is to be the happiest that ever yet has dawned 
upon this world. It was a happy day when the foundation of the 
world was laid, for then the morning stars sang together for joy. It 
was a happy day when Adam and Eve first beheld this fair creation, 
and sang their earliest anthem to its great Creator. It was a happy 
night when the shepherds heard the angels announce ,the birth of the 
Babe of Bethlehem. It was a happy morn when the women who 
visited the sepulchre heard angels say, " The Lord is risen." But no 
day nor night has yet been seen as happy as that last day will be, 
when the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with 
songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads. Of all the happy multi- 
tude then assembled, not one will feel so vast a tide of happiness 
springing up in his soul as the Redeemer himself — as He, who will 
be the fountain of all the joy flowing in every bosom. Then he will 
behold the travail of his soul, and be satisfied — satisfied that he left 
his throne of glory ; satisfied that he trod this sorrowful earth ; satis 
filed that he bled upon the cross ; satisfied that he loved us, and wash- 
ed us from our sins in his own blood. 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. LXIII. The sympathy of Christ. 



John XL 37-44. — The resurrection of Lazarus. 

When Jesus was on earth how little was. his conduct understood by 
men ! Those Jews who, seeing his tears, said, " Behold how he loved 
him !" were mistaken in supposing that it was grief for Lazarus that 
caused them to flow ; but those were more mistaken who harbored 
suspicions of his faithfulness. Some ventured to hint that he might 
have prevented the death of Lazarus. " Could not this man, which 
opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should 
not have died ?" It is not surprising that unbelievers should entertain 
such thoughts. But how is it that believers, in time of trouble, ever 
indulge the same ? When they are overtaken by calamities, they are 
often tempted to inquire, " Why did God permit these afflictions ? 
Surely He could have preserved me from this evil. What have I done 
to offend him that He has exposed me to such sharp trials ?" But all 
the while that these thoughts are going on in the mind, the Lord is 
pursuing his own gracious purposes. Perhaps deliverance is near at 

46 



362 THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS. [aUG. 20 

hand ; if not deliverance from the te?nporal evil, yet deliverance from 
still greater evil. 

Unbelief is the great obstacle in the way of the Lord's gracious de- 
signs. When he gave the command, " Take ye away the stone," un- 
belief interfered. Martha had once said, " I know that even now, 
whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee." Yet now she 
hesitates to consent to the removal of the stone. How gently the 
Lord expostulates with her! "Said I not unto thee, that if thou 
wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God ?" He warns 
her against shutting herself out of the blessedness he was preparing 
for her. The Lord loves to show us his glory in delivering ; but he 
cannot do it if we will not confide in him. Martha listened to her 
Lord's expostulation. She consented to the removal of the stone. 

What a moment that was when Jesus, with uplifted eyes, stood be- 
fore the open tomb ! All was still within the cave, for death was 
there ; — and surely all was still without, while the Son of God prayed 
to his Father in heaven. The first sentence bespoke his faith. 
" Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me." The next showed 
his confidence in his Father's love : " I knew that thou hearest me 
always." The last displayed his own love to sinful men : " Because 
of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou 
hast sent me." He knew their unbelief. He knew that some accused 
him of doing miracles through Satan's power, and he desired to con- 
vince them that He and the Father were One. Who can conceive the 
breathless expectation that filled every heart when he uttered the 
words, " Lazarus, come forth ?" Had that voice not been obeyed, it 
would have been a little thing that the sisters had never again beheld 
their brother : the hopes of all the dead, — the hopes of all the living, 
— the hopes of generations yet unborn, were suspended on the event of 
that moment. Had no movement been heard in that house of death, 
then all the dead would have slept forever. But now we know that 
all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth : 
they that have done good unto the resurrection of life. They shall 
come forth as Lazarus did, — not like him to die again, but to live for 
evermore. They shall come forth, not bound in grave-clothes, but 
arrayed in white robes : not with covered faces, but with countenances 
shining like the sun in his strength. St. John has not described the 
meeting of Lazarus with his sisters and with his Lord ; it is left for us 
to conceive the rapturous greetings, and it is possible for us to con- 
cive the Joy of that loving family ; but it is impossible for us to form 
any idea of the meeting of the saints above, with each other and with 
their Lord. Lazarus found his sisters the same as he had left them, 
and they found him the same mortal creature as before. But hereafter 
every saint will regard his companion with delighted astonishment. 

Though no resemblance we can trace, 
We may believe we see 



AUG 21.] CAIAPHAS PROPOSES JESUS' DEATH. 363 

The dear companion of our race, 
From sin and death set free. 

We may believe that shining head, 

Adorn'd with rainbow wreath, 
The same that sank upon the bed 

Damp with the dews of death. 

Those lips that smiles seraphic wear, 

Were once with pain compress'd ; 
That face than summer sea more fair, 

Was once with care distress'd ; 

Those eyes that now with glory beam, / 

We oft have seen to weep ; 
That form we now an angel's deem, 

In dust we saw it sleep. 

Too little thought I of this hour, 

When weeping o'er thy grave, 
I saw thee crush'd by death's dread power, 

And no arm near to save. 

But then thy flesh was purified 

From every earthly taint, 
That here with Christ thou might'st abide, 

And shine a glorious saint. 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Heb. XII. God's design in chastening his people. 



John XL 45-52 — Caiaphas proposes that Jesus should be slain. 

Some of our Saviour's prayers have not yet been fulfilled ; but the 
prayer he offered up at the tomb of Lazarus was granted immediately. 
He prayed not only that he might raise Lazarus, but also that the 
miracle might cause the people to believe that his father had sent him. 
Here is the answer to the petition — "And many of the Jews which 
came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed in 
him." In the end, all the intercessions of the Son of God shall receive 
their accomplishment. 

But some of the Jews went their ways to the Pharisees and told 
them what things Jesus had done. What an instance their conduct 
affords of the hardness of the human heart, when not softened by di- 
vine grace ! It will not believe, even when one is raised from the 
dead. Perhaps these unbelieving Jews shed the tear of sympathy in 
the house of Mary — for there are many who aie enderly attached to 
their friends, who are full of enmity against the Son of God. 

The Pharisees eagerly listened to the reports of these malicious 
informers, and convened a council to consider the subject. 



364 CAIAPHAS PROPOSES JESUS' DEATH. [AUG. 21. 

It was in this assembly, that the most awful crime was suggested 
that man has ever perpetrated — the murder of the Son of God. It 
was suggested by the person who filled the most holy office in the 
world. The High Priest reproached the Pharisees for their perplex- 
ity, saying, " Ye know nothing at all ; nor consider that it is expedient 
for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole na- 
tion perish not." 

See how he veils the wickedness of his scheme by a specious pre- 
text. He dares not say, " Let us shed innocent blood ; let us rid our- 
selves of the object of our envy ; let us falsely accuse him, and put 
him to death unjustly" Satan teaches men to hide their wickedness 
from their own eyes, lest its deformity should cause them to start back 
with horror. But God sees men's actions as they really are ; their 
secret sins are set in the light of his countenance. It would astonish 
us to know by what gentle names wicked men have called their black- 
est actions. Let us watch lest Satan get an advantage over us, and 
impose some sin upon us by giving it the name of a virtue. 

But though the high priest spoke hypocritically when he proposed 
that one man should die for the people, he also spoke prophetically. 
His words were lying words in the sense he used them ; but they 
were true in another sense, which he knew not of. While his heart 
was under the power of Satan, his tongue was under the direction of 
God : " He spoke not of himself." As the Lord put words into the 
mouth of Balaam, so also did he put them in the mouth of Caiaphas, 
though it was Satan put feelings into his heart. Yet his words only 
expressed a small part of the truth, for Jesus died not for that people 
only, but he died that he might gather into one all the children of God 
scattered abroad. 

It is the desire of all his children to be with their Father, and it is 
the desire of their Father to have all his children with him. Sin, like 
an oppressive tyrant, has scattered his family abroad. Death divides 
them from each other, and even divides their souls from their bodies. 
But the death of Christ has taken away the guilt of sin, and has de- 
stroyed the power of deatli. At the sound of the last trump, the bo- 
dies that lay mouldering in the tombs, or forgotten in the depths of the 
sea, shall be glorified and united to the happy spirits of the just. 
Those who were born in different ages of the world, or who were 
separated by vast oceans, shall behold each other for the first lime in 
their Father's everlasting home. And all these blessings shall flow 
from the awful crime suggested by the high priest. Well may the 
plan of redemption be called, " The mystery of His will." (Eph. i. 9.) 
It is a mystery that the will of God should be accomplished by the 
wickedness of man ; that the purpose formed in heaven should be exe- 
cuted by hell. But herein the wisdom of God is displayed. The 
author of sin, even Satan, is compelled to lend his hand in destroying 
his own works, and his own kingdom. He knew not that the blood 
of the cross would make peace, and would reconcile all things to God, 



AUG. 22.] CHRIST RETIRES TO EPHRAIM. 365 

whether they be things in earth or things in heaven ; he knew not that 
even his own servants, when .sprinkled with that blood, would revolt 
and become the servants of God. (Col. i.) Had he known it, he 
would not have suggested to Caiaphas the guilty expedient of causing 
one man to die for the people. 

Evening Scripture portion. Numbers XXIII. Balaam's prophecies. 



John XI. 53 to end. — Christ retires to Ephraim. 

The wicked suggestion of Caiaphas was immediately acted upon. 
The Pharisees took council together to put Jesus to death. Accepta- 
ble advice is soon followed. How great is the guilt of the man who 
suggests a wicked scheme ! All the dark deeds that have ever been 
committed, were suggested by some man. A word may be the begin- 
ning of a train of horrors, from the view of which the soul recoils. 
What woes to the Jewish people flowed from the crime that Caiaphas 
proposed ! 

The Lord (who knew all things) knew of the consultation which his 
enemies had held, and of the scheme which they had formed ; and as 
his hour was not yet quite come, he retired for a short time to a small 
town called Ephraim. It was so small a place that its name is scarcely 
mentioned by any writer ; but it is supposed that it was situated in a 
valley full of corn, about eight miles from Jerusalem. Here the dis- 
ciples enjoyed another season of confidential intercourse with their 
Lord, such as they had once tasted on the banks of Jordan. How 
doubly precious would this opportunity have seemed to them, had 
they believed they must so soon part with their Divine Teacher ! It 
is seldom that we know when we are enjoying, for the last time, the 
society of a beloved friend. With what feelings a child remembers 
the last prayer a parent offered up in the presence of his family, while, 
perhaps, neither the parent nor the child knew it was the last ! 

While the Lord was hidden in his retreat, the Jews were assembling 
to keep the passover at Jerusalem. To judge from the numbers that 
flocked thither, one would have supposed that they were a very reli- 
gious people. They came from distant parts of the country, and they 
arrived at an early period, in order to go through various purifications 
and washings commanded in the law ; but they did not, like David, 
wash their hands in innocency, before they approached the altar of 
their God. (Ps. xxvi. 6.) There may be a full attendance at the 
house of God, and even at the Lord's supper, while there are but few 
spiritual worshippers. Such religious acts obtain for those who per- 
form them a name to live among men ; but they may be performed 
while the heart is dead before God. Never were the Jews in a more 



366 MARY ANOINTS THE LORD JESUS. [AUG. 23. 

dangerous state than when, having ceased to worship graven images, 
they observed with strictness the ceremonies of the law. 

The people who stood in the temple, inquiring whether Jesus was 
come, and wondering whether he would come at all, little knew what 
deed they would perpetrate before they quitted the holy city. Now 
they were full of enthusiasm for the Prophet of Nazareth ; now they 
extolled him as the greatest that had ever appeared ; now they were 
ready to receive him with hosannas, and to proclaim him king ; but 
they had no true faith and love rooted in their hearts. The Lord 
would not trust himself in their hands, and therefore hid himself till his 
appointed time was come. 

There is a kind of faith which will not stand the day of trial ! there 
is a hind of love which is put out by the breath of slander. Some 
imagine that they are pious, because they delight in listening to an 
eloquent preacher. Let us remember how anxious the Jewish people 
were that Jesus should come to the feast, and how they treated him 
during that feast. Do we know Him as our Saviour from sin ? Do 
we feel that He loved us, and gave himself for us ? Then we shall 
never cease to love him. Though the disciples sinfully forsook him 
in the hour of danger; yet nothing quenched their love; for it was 
founded not on admiration of his power, but on gratitude for his mercy. 

Evening Scripture portion. Gen. XXXVII. Joseph betrayed by his brethren. 



John XII. 1-8. — Mary anoints the Lord Jesus. 

We have now reached the last week of our Saviour's life. On the 
Saturday evening the Jewish Sabbath was over, and the new week 
began — the most eventful week that had been known since the begin- 
ning of the world — the most suffering week that the Son of man 
passed upon earth — and the most sorrowful week that his Church has 
ever seen. But though it was to be full of suffering and of sorrow, it 
opened with a scene of peace and love ; for Simon the Leper made a 
supper for the Lord at his house. If we mark the dealings of God, 
we shall find that a cordial is often granted to us before a trial is sent, 
and that we are permitted to enjoy some unwonted refreshment before 
we are called upon to drink a cup of unusual bitterness. 

How must the gracious Saviour have delighted in the scene he now 
beheld at Bethany! The tears that had touched his heart were now 
dried ; the sisters saw their brother, who was so lately sleeping in 
his tomb, seated at table with their Lord. Martha testified her love 
and joy by waiting on the blessed company. It is probable that she 
superintended the arrangement of the supper, and gave directions to 
the servants. We know that such an office was suited to her active 



AUG. 23.] MARY ANOINTS THE LORD JESUS. 367 

disposition. Mary, who seems to have been of a. more thoughtful, and 
sensitive, and retiring character, found another way of expressing her 
love and joy. She brought an alabaster box full of very precious 
ointment, and poured it on the feet of Jesus. It seems as if she came 
behind him as he reclined upon his couch at supper, and sought to 
perform the loving office in secret. But she could not be hid, for the 
house was filled with the odor of the ointment. Its exquisite fragrance 
attracted attention, and led the guests to discover who had poured it 
forth. Should we not have conceived that in such a company the love 
that Mary had shown would receive the highest praise ? But St. Mat- 
thew records, that not only Judas, but the other disciples said, "Why 
was this waste of the ointment made ?" How could they thus insult 
their Lord ? Was there any thing too precious to be dedicated to the 
Son of God ? Did the wise men who came from the East think so, 
when the}? - laid gold, and frankincense, and myrrh, at the infant Sa- 
viour's feet ? 

We know the motive that led Judas to make the unfeeling inquiry — 
it was covetousness. He was disappointed to think that so rich a 
treasure as this alabaster box should have been kept back from his 
dishonest hands. But why did the other disciples unite in his com- 
plaint? It might be that some secret envy of Mary's surpassing 
attachment to their Lord, may have prompted their censure. But if 
for one moment the gentle and diffident Mary felt cast down by their 
disapprobation, she must soon have been consoled by hearing her 
Master's defence of her conduct. High, indeed, was the commenda- 
tion he bestowed on her : " She hath done what she could !" These 
words imply, that as she could bestow a precious gift, she would not 
be content with presenting a mean one. Had Mary been poor, she 
could not have anointed his feet as she did. She could do much, and 
she did much. She anointed her Lord with a costly perfume, that 
was worth nearly ten pounds of our money. May it not be more often 
said of the poor than of the rich, " They have done what they could?" 
Too often the rich give no more to the service of Christ than the 
crumbs that fall from their table. 

Though the disciples blamed this act of love, yet Jesus declared 
that in distant countries, and in future ages it would be commended. 
For he said, " Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout 
the whole world, this, also, that she hath done shall be spoken of for 
a memorial of her." (Mark xiv. 9.) Mary had not sought for human 
praise ; but even that was to be awarded her. Who has ever read the 
account of Mary's offering, and has not inwardly approved it ? Where 
is the believer who has not wished that he enjoyed the same opportu- 
nity that Mary did, of showing his love to the Lord ? 

When once a poor sinful woman washed the feet of Jesus with her 
penitent tears, a Pharisee reproached the Lord for permitting one so 
wicked to touch him, and thus tacitly accused the weeping sinner of 
presumption. But did the Lord deem her presumptuous ? Mary, who 



368 CHRIST HONORED AND HATED. [AUG. 24. 

bore an honorable character, was not accused of presumption, but of 
extravagance. But did the Lord deem her act of love extravagant ? 
Does the church of God now accuse either of these devoted women 
of presumption or of extravagance ? Let us judge nothing before the 
time. If actions of such devoted love were blamed in former days, 
similar acts may be blamed now. Even true Christians are apt to 
censure those who go beyond themselves in zeal, in feeling, and in 
self-denial ; but the Lord will never think we can love him, adore 
him, or honor him too much. 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Samuel VI. David dances before the ark. 



John XII. 9-19. — Christ is honored and hated the more on account 

of Lazarus. 

It was on the Saturday evening that the Lord Jesus supped at 
Bethany, and was anointed by Mary. The next day was not the Jew- 
ish Sabbath. That Sabbath began at six o'clock on Friday evening, 
and concluded at six o'clock on Saturday evening. It was on Sunday, 
the first day of the week, that the Lord entered Jerusalem, riding 
upon an ass's colt, and accompanied by the joyful multitude. On the 
first day of the next week he rose from the dead. Between these two 
joyful days there was a dark interval ; — a week of unexampled sorrow 
and suffering. 

The acclamations of the multitude on the day the Saviour entered 
Jerusalem, increased the envy of the Pharisees. They said to each 
other with alarm, " Behold, the world is gone after him." They could 
not deny that he had raised Lazarus from the tomb ; therefore they 
were determined to blast his growing reputation by violence. They 
desired not only to put him to death, but Lazarus also — because he 
was a living monument of his power. But had they accomplished 
their design, how easy it would have been for the Prince of Life to 
call him a second time out of his grave ! 

The sisters little knew, when they applied to Jesus for help in their 
hour of sorrow, that their brother's resurrection would lead to their 
Saviour's death. They little thought, when they saw that brother 
seated at the supper at Bethany, that on that day week, his deliverer 
from the grave would be sleeping in his own ! But in the end, they 
had reason to rejoice, for the death of their Lord was the forerunner of 
the most joyful event that has happened since the beginning of the 
world — his resurrection. 

Nor was it Lazarus alone that provoked the enmity of the wicked. 
Mary, by her act of love, was the occasion of stirring up Judas to 
commit an act of treachery. He was so indignant at the disappoint- 



AUG. 25.] CHRIST APPROACHES JERUSALEM. 369 

merit he sustained, and at the rebuke he received, that he offered, four 
days afterwards, to betray the Lord into the hands of his enemies. 
Truly did Mary anoint the Lord for his burial. It was his only 
anointing, for he was hastily buried, and the ointment that the wo- 
men prepared was too late. Thus we perceive that the family of 
Bethany unconsciously roused the indignation of the two chief instru- 
ments of the death of their Lord. The service Mary rendered led 
Judas to propose his betrayal ; and the benefit Lazarus received led 
Caiaphas to suggest his murder. 

Such was the mysterious arrangement of God. He who brings 
real good out of seeming evil, — brings seeming evil out of real good. 
Good deeds are often followed by consequences that appear evil. But 
the servants of God have no reason to despair, when their attempts to 
honor their Master increase the malice of his foes. Though Satan 
may succeed in casting some into prison, or in causing others to be 
slain, he can never succeed in casting one believing soul into his own 
prison — the bottomless pit — or in causing him to be hurt by his own 
death — the second death. 

We may conceive what grief Mary would have felt had she known 
that Judas was incited by her act of love to betray his Lord ; yet, 
when she saw that Lord risen from the dead, would she have grieved 
then ? No doubt it has often happened that the piety of new converts 
has awakened enmity against their minister, and has even led to his 
execution. Those converts must have felt acute anguish when they 
saw their beloved teacher consuming in the flames ; but their anguish 
would be turned into joy could they see him standing before the throne 
clothed in a white robe, with a palm branch in his hand ; or on the 
sea of glass, with the harp of God ; or with the Lamb on Mount Sion 
singing the new song. 

Evening Scripture portion. Rev. XV. Saints in glory. 



Matt. XXI. 1-9. — Christ approaches Jerusalem, riding on an ass. 

Had every scene in our Saviour's life been like this, it would not 
have been written, " He came unto his own, and his own received 
him not." But this day of triumph Was in reality only a preparation 
for the day of slaughter. The Lord of glory chose that for once his 
name should be publicly exalted in his own city of Jerusalem. As 
his hour was now come, he no longer hid himself from his enemies, or 
restrained the grateful praises of his disciples. At the beginning of 
his ministry he did his mighty works in secret, and desired his dis- 

47 



370 CHRIST APPROACHES JERUSALEM. [aUG. 25, 

ciples to tell no man that he was the Christ. But at the close of his 
ministry, he made a triumphant entry into Jerusalem, as the King 
whom God had chosen to reign over that city. Yet the manner of his 
entry was unlike that of kings. He rode, not in a chariot drawn by 
horses, but on an ass — even on a colt, the foal of an ass. 

We know that his principal reason for this act was that he might 
fulfil the prophecy of Zechariah, and give all who beheld him an op- 
portunity of knowing, by another sign, that he was the Messiah of 
whom the prophets spake. Yet, even his own disciples did not ob- 
serve, at the time, the fulfilment of the prophecy. But was there no 
other reason why it was appointed that the Lord of all should enter 
his own city in so humble a manner ? Did not the manner of his entry 
show that he was not a toar-WVe monarch, but the Prince of Peace — 
not a proud monarch, but the meek Saviour, not a rich monarch, bin 
one who had become poor, — so poor that he borroioed the ass on which 
he rode. Yet his divine wisdom and power might be discerned through 
the veil of humility in which he was clothed. No king, however wise , 
could have foretold those minute circumstances concerning the finding 
of the ass, which Jesus described. No king, however powerful, could 
have made an unbroken colt obedient to his ivord. 

He was the glorious Son of Man, spoken of in the eighth psalm, of 
whom it is said : " Thou madest him to have dominion over the works 
of thy hands ; thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet, — 
all sheep and oxen, — yea, and the beasts of the field, the fowl of the 
air, and the fish of the sea." As God gave all the creatures to the 
first Adam, so also he gave them to the second Adam, of whom the 
first was only a type. The beasts who were obedient to the first 
Adam in the garden of Eden, did not resist the power of the second 
Adam. Man rebelled against his authority, but the ass's foal ac- 
knowledged it. 

How wonderful was the condescension of the King of Israel in en- 
tering his own city in so humble a manner ! The purple and scarlet 
of earthly monarchs, the prancing horses and splendid chariots may 
dazzle the eye, but the majesty and meekness of the Son of God im- 
press the heart with admiration. He knew that he should be soon 
exalted to his Father's right hand, yet he condescended to ride upon 
an ass. He knew that white-robed elders would soon cast their 
crowns at his feet, yet when the multitude spread garments and strewed 
branches in the way, he accepted these meaner honors. 

Ought we not to approach with confidence so meek and gentle a 
Saviour ? If, in the days of his flesh, he was pleased with every fee- 
ble attempt to show him homage, ought we not to believe that he will 
be pleased with our humble efforts ? We cannot testify our feelings 
by spreading garments or strewing branches in the way. If we 
would honor him, we must bow our hearts and bend our wills to his 
royal sceptre. When he comes again in power and glory, he will 
remember us. For this is his promise to his faithful servants : " The 



AUG. 26.] THE CHORUS OF PRAISE ON MOUNT OLIVET. 371 

Lord their God shall save them in that day, as the flock of his people." 
(Zech. ix. 16.) 

Evening 1 Scripture portion. 
Zech. IX. Prophecy concerning Christ riding on an ass. 



Luke XIX. 37-40. — The chorus of praise on Mount Olivet. 

The burst of joy that was heard on Mount Olivet, affords a faint 
picture of the raptures of heaven. On Mount Olivet the whole multi- 
tude began to praise God with a loud voice, for all the mighty works 
that they had seen. In heaven an innumerable multitude shall praise 
Him with a louder voice, for a still mightier work than had ever been 
seen in Israel. 

But even a saint on earth sometimes feels overwhelmed when he 
reflects upon all the glorious deliverances and unmerited mercies he 
has received. There are moments, especially towards the close of 
his pilgrimage, when he sees at one glance the mysterious train of 
events by which his life has been marked, and when he cannot forbear 
exclaiming, in the words of David, " How excellent is thy loving-kind- 
ness, O God ! therefore the children of men put their trust under the 
shadow of thy wings." 

There were few among that vast multitude on Olivet who had 
these warm feelings of grateful love ; for the greater part, before the 
week expired, joined in the cry, " Crucify him, crucify him." But 
there were a, few who praised the Lord with their whole hearts. Was 
there not among the crowd blind Bartimeus, who had followed him on 
the way ? Did not the beggar, born blind, go forth to meet him ? He 
had been cast out of the synagogue for his sake, and when he had 
heard he was the Son of God, he had replied, " Lord, I believe." Was 
not that courageous and grateful man among those who most heartily 
praised his name ? Was not Lazarus there, who had been raised from 
the dead ? Was not Mary there, who, the evening before, had anointed 
her Lord with fragrant spikenard ? Were not Salome and Joanna 
there, and Mary Magdalene, and all the faithful little band who had 
followed him out of Galilee '? Was his blessed mother there ? Did 
she behold Him whom, when a babe, she had laid in a manger, ac- 
knowledged as the King of Israel ? 

These inquiries we cannot answer ; we know the names of none who 
composed that joyful company, excepting those of the apostles. But 
this we know, — there were some present who hated to hear the praises 
of the Son of God. These Pharisees said, " Master, rebuke thy dis- 
ciples." Had they heard the songs that once delighted the shepherds 



372 CHRIST WEEPS OVER JERUSALEM. [aUG. 27. 

at Bethlehem, they would have desired to stop the angelic chorus. 
But the Saviour would not check the overflowing feelings of the mul- 
titude, but replied, " I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the 
stones would immediately cry out." Were not the Pharisees more 
senseless than stones, for they had seen the most glorious miracles, and 
yet refused to honor Him who had wrought them? How unfit were 
they to enter heaven, where no tongue is mute in the Saviour's praise ! 
All are unfit for that blessed place who delight not in magnifying the 
Lord Jesus Christ. 

Are there not many who have experienced his goodness from their 
earliest infancy, and who yet praise him not, thank him not ? Are 
there not many who have heard of his dying love, who "hold their 
peace" on this glorious subject, and neither thank him in public nor in 
private? Are there not lips that have never, with warmth and sin- 
cerity, blessed the holy name of Christ the Saviour ? Are any of us 
among the number of those silent, ungrateful, and guilty creatures, 
who never thank their Lord, their Redeemer ? While angels rest not 
day nor night in worshipping the Lord, shall a sinner for whom Christ 
died, refuse to utter one note of heartfelt praise ? 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. LXXI. The aged Christian's song of praise. 



Luke XIX. 41-44. — Christ weeps over Jerusalem. 

The world in which we live has been often called a " vale of tears." 
Each of us has shed tears, and will shed them again. But what are 
the circumstances which draw forth our tears ? Do we not often weep 
for some trifling cause, some selfish reason, some sinful feeling ? 
There are the tears of mortified pride, the tears of discontent, the tears 
of rebellion. All these are sinful tears. There are the tears of disap- 
pointment, of anxiety, of pain, and of grief. These are natural tears. 
There are the tears of sympathy. Jesus shed those when accompany- 
ing the mourners to the tomb of Lazarus. There are the tears of pen- 
itence — these the Saviour could not shed, for he was not a sinner ; but 
he delights in these tears, and with them he once permitted a weeping 
penitent to wash his blessed feet. 

But the tears that he shed over Jerusalem were the tears of gener- 
ous love — love for his enemies. Have we ever shed such tears? 
There are Christians who have so imbibed the Spirit of their Master, 
that they retire to pray, and even to weep for those who hate and revile 
them, and who will not pray, nor weep for themselves. But all true 
Christians have not attained to this height of divine compassion. 

How strange it must have appeared to those who were singing his 



AUG. 27.] CHRIST WEEPS OVER JERUSALEM. 373 

praises, and adorning his path with green and flowery branches, to see 
the Redeemer stop and gaze and weep! In the midst of their joyful 
hosannas, the sorrowful tones of his voice were heard, saying, " If thou 
hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong 
unto thy peace !" Thus he spoke to the daughter of Zion, (for cities 
are often compared to women in Scripture, and the inhabitants are 
called their children.) Truly we may say, " Behold how he loved 
her !" He did not weep because he saw, from the top of Olivet, the 
place of his own sufferings ; because he saw at its foot Gethsemane, 
that doleful garden where the first drops of his blood would fall ; nor 
because he saw beyond the city, Calvary, that dismal spot, where the 
last drops would flow at the touch of the soldier's sp'ear. He wept 
because he foresaw the calamities that would overtake nis murderers. 
Though now the city sat majestically upon her seven hills, yet soon 
he knew she would lie prostrate in the dust. How grand and beauti- 
ful she appeared when viewed from the heights of Mount Olivet ! Her 
lofty rocks, her massive towers, and, above all, the glittering dome of 
her snow-white temple, generally excited admiration ; but now they 
called forth lamentation. It was in these defences she trusted, instead 
of in the living God. But neither her rocks nor her towers, nor even 
her holy temple, could save her when the Romans came and besieged 
the city. Her God had departed from her. Then her walls were 
thrown down, her temple burnt, and more than one million of her in- 
habitants destroyed by famine and pestilence, by fire and sword. 

At this moment the Saviour knows the fate of every city upon earth. 
He knows what will befall London, and Paris, and Rome. Every 
city that, like Jerusalem, trusts in her own strength, and refuses to obey 
Christ, must fall, as she has done. Those who love their native land 
ought to use every effort to spread the Gospel among their countrymen. 

But Christ not only knows the fate of every city ; he knows also 
the fate of every individual in every city, and village, and hamlet. Some- 
times, perhaps, when we see a person in the enjoyment of riches, and 
health, and honor, — surrounded by smiling children, and admiring 
friends, — we are ready to cry, " If I were in thy place, I should be 
happy." But is this person forgetful of his Saviour? Then it may 
be that Christ is saying to him, " If thou hadst known, even thou, at 
least in this thy day, the things which belong to thy peace." We be- 
hold the present scene, but Jesus beholds the future also. He sees — 
not only the table amply spread, but the dying bed that will succeed ; 
he hears — not only the voice of merriment that now prevails, but the 
faint groan that will close the scene. Can he count those happy, 
whose misery is every hour drawing nearer ? Surely the compassion- 
ate Saviour feels for all who soon will exclaim, in another world, " If 
/ had known, even / in that my day, the things which belonged unto 
my peace, but now — they are hid from my eyes !" 

Evening Scripture portion. Jer. IX. Jeremiah weeps over Jerusalem, 



374 THE BUYERS AND SELLERS. [AUG. 28. 



Matt. XXI. 10-13. — Christ casts the buyers and sellers out of the 

temple. 

When the Son of God entered Jerusalem, where should he go but 
to his Father's house ? He went to the temple. In what a state did 
he find that sacred place ! It shone bright in earthly splendor — it was 
undefiled by images of wood or stone — it was frequented by crowds 
of worshippers ; but yet it was a den of thieves. In its outermost 
court, called the court of the Gentiles, there were men engaged in 
buying and selling beasts and birds for sacrifices, and others in changing 
money, brought from distant places, into the coin of the country, and 
in supplying half-shekels for the yearly tribute. This court had been 
assigned by God to the Gentiles, that all nations might worship him ; 
according to the words of the prophet Isaiah, " Mine house shall be 
called a house of prayer for all people." (Isa. vi. 7.) 

The priests alone were admitted into the temple itself ; Jews only 
into the court that enclosed it ; women of the Jewish nation were per- 
mitted to enter the next court ; and Gentiles into the outermost — that 
is, those Gentiles who worshipped the God of Israel. No such dis- 
tinctions now exist; for in Christ Jesus there is neither Jew nor 
Greek, bond nor free, male nor female, but all are one in him. (Gal. 
iii. 28.) Christ by his death has broken down the middle wall of par- 
tition that separated Jew from Gentile, and has made both one. (Eph. 
li. 14.) 

But it was not the animals that defiled the court of the Gentiles so 
much as the men who sold and bought them, for they were thieves. 
It is probable that they considered themselves honest men, for it does 
not appear that they committed those kinds of robberies which are con- 
sidered disgraceful ; but they were thieves in God's sight, for all who 
make unfair gains, and tell falsehoods when they buy or sell, are 
counted thieves by him. Such actions w r ere especially offensive to 
Jesus when committed in his Father's house. To see that holy place 
converted into a den in which iniquity was committed with impunity, 
vexed his holy mind. At the beginning of his ministry, three years 
before, he had driven out the offenders with a scourge of small cords, 
and now at its close he cleansed the sanctuary a second time. 

Though so meek towards those who reviled him, he was ardent in 
his opposition to wickedness. He is the Judge of all, as well as the 
Saviour of all ; and when he comes again he will manifest his hatred 
against sin. If in the days of his flesh the wicked fled before him, 
whenever he exerted his divine power, how much more will they 
tremble when he comes in his glory with all his holy angels ! Who 
will be able to resist when he shall send them forth to gather out of 
his kingdom all things that offend, and them that do iniquity, and cast 
them into a furnace of fire ! 

It is supposed that the buyers and sellers in the temple returned to 



KUG. 29.] CHILDREN PRAISE CHRIST. 375 

their wicked practices after the panic was over ; but those who are 
cast out of the heavenly kingdom will never more return to pollute 
the service of God. Though the gates of the celestial city shall never 
be shut, yet there shall in no wise enter any thing that defileth, neither 
whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie ; but they which are 
written in the Lamb's book of life. (Rev. xxi. 27.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Mai. I. Contempt of God's ordinances. 



Matt. XXI. 4-16.— Children praise Jesus in the temple. 

When Christ came into his temple, he cast out some, but he re- 
ceived others. The buyers and sellers he cast out; the blind and the 
lame he received. It must have been an affecting sight to see those 
helpless creatures hastening from all quarters to meet their benefactor. 
They did well to come then, for those hands whose touch was health, 
would soon be stretched upon the cross. 

Blindness is a calamity very common at the present day in Jerusa- 
lem, and some who love the Jews endeavor, by medical art, to heal 
their benighted brethren. But there is no Son of God now, whose 
touch will unveil the eyes. Even in this country it is calculated that 
two in every thousand are blind ; and, therefore, that London and its 
suburbs contain two thousand blind persons. Christians have had pity 
upon them, and have instituted one society for visiting them, reading 
to them, and leading them to God's house ; and another for teaching 
them to read and write, and labor for their own living — and both of 
these societies seek to save their immortal souls.* 

How interesting it must have been to see the blind and the lame 
enter the temple ! Here perhaps was a blind old man led by the 
hand of a little grandchild, and there a father who could not walk, 
borne in the arms of affectionate sons and daughters, whom he had 
once borne in his. 

We know that there were children in the temple when the Lord 
healed these afflicted creatures. Some of these children may have 
been leaders of the blind, or even supporters of the lame. This at 
least we know, they were children who loved Jesus, for when they 
sang his praise, he was pleased. Once He blessed children, and now 
they blessed him. Those that were brought to him on a former oc- 
casion, seem to have been very little ones, perhaps unable to speak , 
but those who sang in the temple were old enough both to speak and 

* These societies are called, " Society for Visiting the Indigent Blind at their own Hab- 
itations," office 20 Red Lion Square ; " School for Teaching the Blind to Read," 36 
Queen Square. The latter is open for inspection every afternoon. 



376 CHILDREN PRAISE CHRIST. [aUG. 29. 

to understand. Their artless songs irritated the priests exceedingly. 
No doubt they had been exasperated by the casting out of the buyers 
and sellers. But they were too much afraid of offending the people to 
oppose the Lord openly. They did not even venture to command the 
children to be silent, but appealed to Jesus and said, " Hearest thou 
what these say ?" And what had the children said ? They had called 
him " the Son of David." As the Son of David he had a right to the 
throne of David. The little children acknowledged Him to be their 
King. No doubt many children were wicked in those days as well as 
in our own, but we never hear of any who spoke against Christ. It is 
not said that they joined in the cry that their fathers uttered, " Crucify 
him, crucify him." May we not rather hope that they followed their 
mothers, even that company of women who bewailed and lamented 
Him? 

How ought the young to rejoice in the Saviour's answer to the 
priests and Scribes ! " Yea, have ye never read, out of the mouths 
of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise ?" 

Who could have thought that He who listens to the songs of thou- 
sands of angels, should be pleased with the lisping accents of a child ! 
But when a little one offers up a simple prayer from his heart, the 
glorious Saviour bows down from his heavenly throne to hearken. 
The children in the temple did not care for the frowns of their proud 
enemies, while they enjoyed the smiles of Jesus. Those wicked men 
must have looked upon them with still more anger than before, after 
the Saviour's reply. They cannot have forgotten the words that fol- 
lowed those Jesus quoted from the 8th Psalm, " That thou mightest 
still the enemy and the avenger." The praises of children often do 
still (or make quiet) the enemy and the avenger. When a wicked 
man who hates God sees a little child who loves Him, he sometimes 
feels ashamed of his wickedness, and wishes he was like that simple 
babe. Swearers have sometimes left off swearing at the request of a 
child ; prayerless men have learned to pray from the example of a 
child. 

There was a father who was called to visit the dying bed of his little 
daughter. Moved by her entreaties, he knelt down by her bed-side, 
but said he could not pray. She prayed for him : her prayer was 
heard in heaven. He became a holy man. When he had buried his 
child, he gathered his household around him, and began, from that 
day, to call upon the name of that Lord who had loved and saved his 
child. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. VIII. IX. Judgments on Chrisfs enemies. 



AUG. 30.] SOME GREEKS DESIRE TO SEE JESUS. 377 



John XII. 20-26.^ Some Greeks desire to see Jesus. 

Who were these Greeks that desired so much to see Jesus? They 
were Gentiles, brought up in the Greek religion, but who had forsaken 
it for the worship of the true God. We cannot wonder that they 
longed to see the great prophet of Nazareth, with whose praises all 
Jerusalem resounded. It must have been more than a sight that they 
desired. Zaccheus desired only a sight, when he climbed the syca- 
more tree, but these Greeks appear to have wished for an interview. 
They desired to converse with the Lord. It was not easy to obtain 
access to one who w r as always surrounded by a throng. Who would 
make way for Gentiles to approach him — for Gentiles, who were con- 
sidered as the dregs of the earth by the proud and bigoted Jews ? 
These Greeks, therefore, applied to Philip the apostle. It appears 
that he was doubtful whether the Lord would receive them ; for we 
find he consulted first with Andrew, who was his townsman, and that 
afterwards he and Andrew together told Jesus. No more mention is 
made of these Greeks ; but we know too well the love that Christ 
bore to poor Gentiles, to doubt how he would receive them. Had 
they ever conversed with the Roman centurion, or the woman of 
Canaan, they would not have feared a repulse. The centurion would 
have said, " I thought that I was not worthy that he should come un- 
der my roof, and, lo ! he received me as a son." The Canaanite would 
have said, " I was content to be a dog, worthy only to eat the crumbs 
that fell from the children's table, and, lo ! he called me his daughter.''' 
None who knew his condescending love, would ever fear a cold recep- 
tion from the Friend of sinners. 

His answer to Philip and Andrew was calculated to encourage the 
Greeks, as well as the Jews, to trust in him. When he said that a 
corn of wheat, if it die or corrupt in the ground, will bring forth much 
fruit, did he not allude to the salvation of Gentiles, as well as Jews, 
through his death? Seed is sometimes cast into the ground and never 
springs up : sometimes it springs up, but produces only a little fruit : 
but Jesus died, and was buried, that he might rise again and bring 
many sons and daughters to glory. It would not satisfy the Son of 
God to save a few souls : he knew before he suffered, that he should 
redeem from eternal misery a multitude that no man can number. But 
he knew also that this multitude must suffer much tribulation. There- 
fore he continually exhorted all who approached him to be faithful unto 
death. With what affection he promised that his fellow-sufferers 
should be his companions in glory, saying, "Where I am, there shall 
also my servant be !" The Greeks had desired a passing interview 
with Jesus, but here was a promise of his presence forever and ever. 
We have never seen the Son of Man, as he appeared upon earth in 
the days of his humiliation ; but, if we love him, we shall see him — 
see him not as he was, but as he is, — see him as described in Revela- 

48 



378 THE FATHER ANSWERS HIS SON. [AUG. 31. 

lion x , " Clothed with a cloud, a rainbow upon his head, his face as 
it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire." And when we see him 
as he is, we shall be like him. Those who saw him as he was were 
not made like him by the sight. But he has made this promise to his 
servants, " They shall see his face, and his name shall be on their 
foreheads." (Rev. xxii. 4.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Rev. X. The glorious Son of God. 



John XII. 27-33. — The Father answers his Son from heaven. 

How wonderful a scene was this ! The Father and the Son speak- 
ing to each other in the presence of men. Surely there must have 
been silence in heaven while this solemn intercourse was held ! Such 
sounds had not been heard by an assembled multitude since the day 
that God had delivered the ten commandments from Mount Sinai. Man 
had forgotten his Father's voice. None knew it but the Son himself. 
He knew it well. But he needed no voice to assure him of his Father's 
love. That voice was heard, that man might know that the Father 
loved the Son ; that man might know that the Father had heard his 
prayer, " Glorify thy name." The more we consider that short prayer, 
the more we must admire it. What courage, what obedience, what 
love were displayed in those few words, " Glorify thy name !" At the 
moment they were uttered, all the terrible future lay open before the 
Son of God. The scourge, the thorns, the cross, the cruel mockings 
of men, and the hidings of his Father's countenance, all, all were 
present to his view. Yet, instead of praying, " Father, save me from 
this hour," he prayed, " Father, glorify thy name." 

Is it easy for a sufferer to make this prayer ? Let those answer who 
see the objects of their tenderest love begin to droop. Is it easy, then, 
to say, " Father, glorify thy name ; if it be necessary for thy glory 
that I should lose my dearest comforts, I resign them into thy hands." 
Let those answer, who linger from month to month under the tortures 
of some inveterate disease. Is it easy for them to say, " Father, if it 
be for thy glory that I should still endure these agonies, let them con- 
tinue ?" The soul who can make this prayer is prepared to join the 
multitude that came out of great tribulation. 

But no child of God was ever exposed to such trials as those that 
were coming upon Jesus, when he said, " Father, glorify thy name." 
He saw the prince of this world, even Satan, advancing to meet him 
in battle. He had suffered much from his temptations in the wilder- 
ness ; but he would suffer more from his assaults in the garden, and 
on the cross. Yet he drew not back from the terrible conflict, because 
he knew that by the conquest of Satan his Father's name would be 



SEPT. L] CHRIST EXHORTS THE PEOPLE. 379 

glorified. It was on the cross that he overcame the prince of this 
world. No conqueror's sword has ever done so mighty a deed as that 
despised cross. No monarch's throne has ever seemed so glorious in 
the eyes of angels as that shameful cross. 

There are many means by which men are converted from sin to 
God : some are impressed by the means of books, others by conversa- 
tion, and more still by preaching. But there is only one doctrine by 
which they are converted ; it is the doctrine of the cross. Every par- 
doned sinner now on earth, or in heaven, could bear witness to this 
truth. It was the love of a dying Saviour that drew him out of dark- 
ness into light. Had Jesus refused to die, how many tongues now 
singing to the glory of God the Father would have been forever 
mute ! But who can tell how many more will swell the heavenly 
chorus in ages yet to come ! Not one of them was forgotten by the 
Son of God when he uttered, " And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all 
men unto me." The thought of their united songs cheered his soul in 
the hour of his trouble. His own sufferings darkened the view on one 
side, but the glory that his Father would receive from a multitude 
without number of redeemed sinners, of all nations, and kindred, and 
people, and tongues, enlightened the prospect with an overwhelming 
splendor, and drew forth the prayer, " Father, glorify thy name !" 

Evening Scripture portion. Deut. V. The voice of God in the fire. 



John XII. 34-36. — Christ exhorts the people to believe while they 

have the light. 

While ministers are preaching, their hearers are often answering 
them in their own minds. Satan never fails to suggest objections against 
the truth to all who are willing to listen to his whispers. He did not 
fail to attempt to extinguish the light of the truth when Jesus held it 
up. When those affecting words were pronounced, " And I, if I be 
lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me," the people, in- 
stead of receiving the truth, objected, saying, " We have heard out of 
the law that Christ abideth ever ; and how sayest thou, ' The Son of 
Man must be lifted up ;' who is this Son of Man ?" This objection 
was not urged in a right spirit. If it had been meekly proposed, the 
gentlest of Teachers would have solved the difficulty. He could 
easily have explained it by saying, " The Son of man will be lifted up 
on the cross — then rise to live forever." The people were right in 
saying that the law had declared that Christ abideth ever, because it is 
written in Ps. xli., " Thou settest him before thy face forever ;" but 
they were wrong in the conclusion they drew. How diffident and 
humble we ought to be when we speak on divine subjects ! Our un- 



380 SOME REFUSE TO BELIEVE. [SEPT. 2. 

derstandings are so feeble, that we fall into mistakes continually. Our 
only hope of obtaining wisdom is by waiting with meekness on Jesus 
to be taught : " He will guide the meek in judgment." 

Instead of answering the cavils of the people, the Lord gave them 
a solemn warning. He saw with sorrow that they were wasting the 
little time during which they would enjoy his instructions. There- 
fore he said, " Yet a little while is the light with you." They knew 
not how very little while that light would shine. If these words were 
uttered on the day of our Lord's arrival in Jerusalem, (that is, on 
Sunday evening,) then there remained only three days more for him to 
teach, and for the people to learn. On Thursday it appears all classes 
were engaged in preparing the passover, and on Friday in gazing on 
the crucified Saviour. After that day none saw him but his own dis- 
ciples. He taught the people no more. 

Who can tell how long he may retain the light he now enjoys ? A 
child who has a pious parent knows not how soon that parent may die, 
and how soon the voice may cease that now prays so often with him, 
and so much oftener for him ! There are many who would tremble 
if they knew how shortly their only opportunity of salvation will end. 

A minister who was preaching on the words, " Seek ye the Lord 
while he may be found," observed, " There may be some here who, 
if I had preached to-morrow instead of to-day, would then have been 
in that place where, if they sought the Lord, they would not find him." 
A farmer's laborer was deeply impressed by the sermon, and sought 
the Lord that very night. The next morning, as he was with his 
horses in the field, one grew restive, and, in rearing, struck him with 
the iron harrow on the temple, so that he died. Had that man delayed 
to seek the Lord but one day more, he would have been forever in 
darkness. With what feelings must lost spirits remember the last 
opportunity they neglected, the last sermon they disregarded, the last 
conviction they suppressed ! 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Psalm XLI. Prophecy concerning Christ abiding forever. 



John XII. 37-41. — Some refuse to believe. 

" He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts." These 
words have perplexed many minds. Does a merciful God blind the 
eyes of his creatures ? We thought it was He who took away the 
heart of stone, and gave the heart of flesh. And so it is. All good 
comes from him, and nothing but good. But it is good to inflict 
righteous judgment, and there is a sin for which blindness is a righte- 
ous judgment. When men love darkness rather than light, and obsti- 



SEPT. 2.] SOME REFUSE TO BELIEVE. 381 

nately refuse to come to the light, at length God blinds their eyes, 
For what use is sight to those who abide in darkness ? Jesus came a 
light into the world ; but there were many whose deeds were evil, and 
who refused to come to the light, lest their deeds should be made 
manifest. It was these whose eyes were blinded, and whose hearts 
were hardened, so that they could not see with their eyes, nor under- 
stand with their hearts. The dayspring from on high visited them, to 
guide their feet into the way of peace, through the tender mercy of 
their God : but they turned away from the glorious light — from that 
light which fills all heaven with joy. How it must have astonished 
angels to see men turn away from the Son of God ! •' 

Isaiah once beheld his glory in the temple. He beheld the Lord 
Jehovah sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, attended by the 
seraphim, who cried one to another, " Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of 
Hosts, the whole earth is filled with his glory." This was the glory 
that Isaiah saw. The apostles also saw the glory of the Son of Man ; 
but it was displayed in a different manner. They beheld one clothed 
in flesh, yet possessed of divine power : they saw him suffering insults 
and injuries,* and yet conferring benefits, and promising blessings. 
The glory of the Son of God did not shine more brightly from his 
heavenly throne than it did through the veil of a human form. 

But the blind in heart could not behold this glory. None saw it 
but those whose eyes God had opened. There is no calamity so 
great as to be blind to the glory of the Redeemer. When we see a 
very enchanting sight, then it is that we pity the blind. When we 
look upon the beauties of the opening spring, or the splendor of the 
setting sun, then we feel compassion for those who can never be 
cheered by such lovely sights. When we behold the countenance of 
a dearly-beloved friend, a parent, or a child, then, above all, we feel 
for those who can never be delighted by seeing the objects of their 
fondest affections. 

And when is it the Christian feels most for the blind world ? When 
he contemplates the glories of his Saviour, when he meditates upon 
his power, and faithfulness, and love, and thinks that there are men 
who never beheld these glories — who never will behold them — who 
do not desire to behold them. Though the wicked shall see the Son 
of man come with power and great glory at the last day, yet they shall 
never comprehend his greatest glory — which is his goodness. Moses 
once prayed, and said, " Lord, I beseech thee show me thy glory ;" 
and God answered, " I will make all my goodness pass before thee." 
And then he proclaimed his name as the merciful, gracious, long- 
suffering God, who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin. This is 
the glory which believers behold with so much satisfaction, but which 
unbelievers cannot see. In another world they will feel the poiver of 
God, and, like the devils, tremble beneath its weight.: but they will 
never, never know the God of love. 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. VI. The message of wrath. 



582 MANY REFUSE TO CONFESS CHRIST. [SEPT. 3 



John XII. 42, 43. — Many who believe, refuse to confess Christ. 

It is very profitable to observe what temptations have overcome men 
in past times. None can estimate the force of temptation, excepting 
those who are actually under its influence. Even those temptations 
by which we ourselves have once been overcome, appear feeble and 
insignificant when we are removed from their power. We have read 
of a young ruler who refused to follow Christ because he had great 
possessions. Now we read of many rulers who refused to confess 
him, because they loved the praise of men more than the praise of 
God. What various reasons men have for not doing the will of God ! 
But there is not one of all those reasons that will appear a strong one 
at the last day. " We cannot," thought these rulers, " confess that 
Jesus is the Son of God, lest we should be put out of the synagogue." 
There was a beggar born blind who endured the trial ; why could not 
they endure it? When he was cast out, the Son of God found him 
and revealed himself unto him. Had those rulers acted as he did, 
they would have been comforted as he was. One word from the Son 
of God could impart more peace to the. heart than the plaudits of a 
whole multitude, or the praise of the whole Sanhedrim. But it ap- 
peared to these rulers an insupportable calamity to be put out of the 
synagogue. Not to be allowed to approach within an arm's length of 
any person, or to eat and drink with any for thirty days, was a trial 
they would not encounter. Then if, at the end of thirty days, they 
continued to confess Christ, a curse would be pronounced on them in 
the midst of the congregation, accompanied by the extinguishing of 
lights, and the sounding of trumpets. Then would follow destitution, 
and desolation, and disgrace. They would be deprived of their prop- 
erty, forbidden to hire or to be hired, to buy or to sell, to teach or be 
taught ; when they died stones would be cast at their bier, and none 
would follow them to the grave. 

These things were sufficient to terrify a human heart ; but yet what 
were they all, compared to the woes God will inflict on the unbeliev- 
ing and the fearful ! Not to be permitted to approach our fellow- 
mortals is not so dreadful as to be separated from saints and angels 
and God and Christ forever and ever. The sudden darkness in the 
synagogue, and the clangor of trumpets, could not be as appalling as 
the darkness of the sun at noonday, and the sound of the last trump ! 

But though these rulers believed that Jesus was the Christ, they 
did not believe with the heart. They did not love him. They loved 
men more than God ; therefore they loved the praise of men more than 
the praise of God. It is possible that a true believer may be tempted 
to deny his Lord : but then he will not continue in the sin. Peter 
denied Christ ; but one " kind upbraiding glance" brought him to re- 
pentance, and made him go out and weep bitterly. These rulers were 
not like Peter. They could bear to see their companions insult the 



SEPT. 4.] CHRIST THE LIGHT 07 THE WORLD. 383 

Lord day after day, and yet never take his part : they could bear to 
hear them plotting his death, and yet be silent. They were content to 
be on good terms with his enemies, and not to be counted among his 
friends. Could they have done this had they loved him ? O no ; had 
they loved him they would, on some occasion, have betrayed their 
feelings. Nicodemus could not sit in the Sanhedrim and hear the 
Lord calumniated. He exclaimed, " Doth our law judge any man 
before it hear him, and know what he doeth?" and thus he brought 
upon himself the derision of the assembly. Could an affectionate son 
hear his father insulted day after day, and never show by word or 
look how deeply he was wounded ! 

Perhaps we never hear men speak openly against Jesus himself. 
But do we not meet with many who speak against his laws and his 
people ? It is before such persons that we are called upon to confess 
him. If we do not seem to approve of worldly amusements, if we 
show an attachment to truly religious people, if we refuse to smile at 
sin, and to admire what the world admires, the enemies of Christ will 
hate and despise us. Are we willing to bear their hatred and con- 
tempt for our dear Master's sake ! Is Christ's approbation dearer to 
us than the world's admiration ? These are signs that we love the 
Lord, and that he loves us ; and that he will confess us when he comes 
in his glory with all his holy angels. 

Evening Scripture portion. Dan. III. The three men in the fiery furnace. 



John XII. 44 to end. — Christ declares him.self to be the light of the 

world. 

The most glorious light that ever shone upon this world was now 
about to set. While his beams were still visible, a voice was heard 
saying, " I am come a light into this world, that whosoever believeth 
in me should not abide in darkness." This is the last invitation to an 
unbelieving world recorded as uttered by our Lord before his crucifix- 
ion. We know that he preached the gospel daily during the short 
remainder of his life of suffering ; but we are not informed what other 
invitations he made ; though we are informed of many parables he 
related, of many answers he gave, and of many warnings he uttered. 

What infinite love breathed in this invitation ! Jesus came a light 
into the world, not for his own happiness, but that whosoever believed 
in him should not abide in darkness. He had beheld the world lying 
in darkness ; he had pitied their awful state : and had consented to 
penetrate the dismal recesses of their abode, that he might bring to 
them the light of life. 

How gloomy this world of sin must appear when viewed from those 



384 CHRIST THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. [SEPT. 4. 

sunny heights where the saints abide! But darkness is not only 
gloomy, it is unwholesome. Plants cannot grow in the dark. It is 
only the boughs that drink in the light of day, that bring forth leaves 
and fruit. The flowers turn their lovely heads to the sun, and ever} 7 
branch bends forward to meet its rays. As soon as the infant has 
strength to open its tender eyelids it begins to seek the light. Those 
poor babes who are reared in dark alleys show by their pale and sickly 
looks that they have been deprived of the light that makes the whole 
creation bloom and rejoice. Darkness is dangerous as well as un- 
wholesome. The traveller in the desert, if he is benighted, is exposed 
to pitfalls and wild beasts. The prince of the power of the air ex- 
ercises his power in darkness; there he lays his snares; there he 
watches for his prey. 

It was to relieve men in this deplorable state that the Son of God 
was manifested. He is the brightness of the Father's glory, and the 
express image of his person ; therefore he said, " Whoso serth me 
seeth him that sent me." The King eternal, immortal, invisible, 
dwells in light which no man can approach unto ; but his Son was 
veiled with flesh, and sent forth into the world clothed in such mild 
beams that men could approach him. But if men still loved darkness 
rather than light, if they shut their eyes upon the Sun of righteousness, 
and retired farther into their dark retreats, what would become of them 
at last ! The words w T hich Jesus spoke would judge them at the last 
day. That w T ord, "lam come a light into the world, that whosoever 
believeth in me should not abide in darkness," that very word will 
judge all those who, having heard it, have not come unto the light. 
For when Jesus comes again he will not save the world. He will 
only save his people, and he will judge the world. All the invitations 
which the world have received are recorded, and will be brought for- 
ward at the last day. They may forget the sermons they have heard, 
the chapters they have read ; they may forget the faithful expostula- 
tions of their pious friends, and the fervent prayers of their fond pa- 
rents, but God does not forget them ; for all these means of grace 
were arranged by Him in his eternal counsels with his Son. He de- 
termined what they should hear, and He observes how they hear. 
The sinner's heart will thrill with terror when his Judge inquires, 
" Why did you not come unto me ? Then you might have had light. 
Why did you abide in darkness ?" What reason can a sinner give for 
abiding even one day in darkness, when light is come into the world ? 
There .is not a single soul who hears this invitation who might not en- 
joy light this very hour, if he would but lift up his heart to the Saviour 
of the world with this earnest cry, " Enlighten my darkness, thou light 
of life." 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Jer. XIII. Warning of approaching darkness. 



SEPT. 5.] CHRIST CURSES THE BARREN FIG-TREE. 381 



Mark XI. 11-19. — Christ curses the barren Jig-tree. 

Such is the history of the manner in which our Lord spent one of 
the last days before his death. It was, as we believe, on Sunday that 
he entered with triumph into Jerusalem. On the evening of that day 
St. Mark records that he looked round about on all things, and then 
went to Bethany with the twelve. And what did those holy eyes be- 
hold when they looked round about upon the temple ? They must 
have looked upon the smoking sacrifices, upon the burning lights, and 
upon the white-robed priests. But these sights cannot have imparted 
joy to the Saviour's heart ; for he knew how those sacred ordinances 
w T ere profaned by an unbelieving nation. 

How sweet must the calm of Bethany have seemed after the tumult 
of Jerusalem ! That lovely village, embosomed among the fruitful 
trees that adorned the foot of Olivet, contained some of the Lord's 
most devoted followers. Whether he spent the night in solitary prayer 
on the mountain, or whether he slept beneath the roof of some beloved 
disciple, we know not. However engaged, he was hid from the pur- 
suit of his enemies. For it is said in St. John's Gospel concerning 
this period, " These things spake Jesus and departed, and did hide 
himself from them." (xii. 30.) 

On the morning of the next day, (which, we believe, was Monday,) 
the Lord again repaired to the scene of labor and conflict, to the temple 
at Jerusalem. The distance was about one mile and a half, and the 
way lay through a fertile valley, close by the Garden of Gethsemane, 
and over the brook Kidron. As the Saviour walked he was hungry ; 
for he had probably left Bethany at an early hour, and without taking 
refreshment. His hunger reminds us that he had a body like our own, 
and was subject to all our infirmities except sin. It was at this mo- 
ment he beheld a fig-tree having leaves, and he approached it, but, 
finding no fruit upon it, he cursed it, saying, " No man eat fruit of thee 
hereafter forever." There is one thing in this account which it is 
difficult to understand. St. Mark observes, "The time of figs was 
not yet." It is natural to inquire, " Why did the Saviour expect to 
find figs before the season was arrived ?" This difficulty has been ex- 
plained. There is a kind of fig-tree which always has leaves, and 
always bears fruit. The common sort of fig-trees in the early spring 
neither bear leaves nor fruit. When our Lord beheld afar a fig-tree 
having leaves, he knew it must be of the kind that bears fruit at all 
times ; and when he found none, he cursed it for its barrenness. 

But surely there must have been some deep meaning in this action ; 
for a tree can neither deserve cursing nor blessing. It must have been 
to teach his apostles who then heard his words, and us who now hear 
them, that Jesus cursed the tree. This tree afforded an apt emblem 
of the Jewish nation. The leaves of a tree drink in air and moisture, 
and promote its strength and fruitfulness. The sacred privileges be- 

49 



386 THE WITHERED FIG-TREE. [SEPT. 6. 

stowea on the Jews may be compared to leaves. But when the Son 
of God came looking for fruit, he found none — no repentance — no 
faith — no love — no holiness — for though there were a few who be- 
lieved, the nation, as a nation, believed not. He did not expect fruit 
from the Gentiles, for the time of figs w T as not yet come with them ; 
but he had a right to expect much from those to whom he had given 
much. 

When he entered the temple again that day, he found the buyers 
and sellers engaged in their profane traffic. It seems, from this ac- 
count, that after having been driven away the evening before, they had 
returned to their old practices, and that the Son of man showed his 
power again in casting them out. 

Jesus passed the day in teaching the people, while maliciously ob- 
served by the scribes and chief priests. And, when evening was 
come, he went out of the city, and sought again to hide himself from 
his enemies in his favorite retreat. Thus closed another of his few 
remaining days of sorrow. It seemed as if he spent his strength for 
naught, and in vain ; but his judgment was with the Lord, and his 
work with his God. (Is. xlix. 4.) 

Do those who labor for our souls, whether they be ministers or 
friends, look in vain for fruit ? May the Saviour's awful sentence 
prove a warning to us. God can say to a man, as well as to a tree, 
" Let no man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever." Is there any one 
who could bear the prospect of never being a blessing throughout all 
the ages of eternity ? Even those who are useless and hurtful now, 
hope that they shall one day be different. But opportunities are rap- 
idly passing away. The trees, that are now bearing the lovely fruits 
of praise and holiness in the paradise above, began to bring forth fruit 
unto God when upon earth. Even that malefactor whose Christian 
course lasted but an hour or two, brought forth good fruit in his be- 
lieving prayer to Jesus, and in his faithful reproof of his fellow-sufferer; 
while the aged apostle Paul was like a tree whose boughs are pressed 
to the earth under the weight of a fragrant and delicious load. Have 
we begun to bear heavenly fruit ? If not, when shall we begin ? Let 
us not delay — we cannot tell how soon God may fix our state forever. 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. V. The Lord's vineyard. 



Mark XL 20-26. — Christ and his disciples pass by the withered 

fig-tree. 

After having passed the night in Bethany, the Redeemer, with his 
little band, left his retreat to resume his labors in Jerusalem. In the 






SEPT. 6.] THE WITHERED FIG-TREE 387 

course of their walk a very impressive object met their sight. It was 
the fig-tree that had been cursed the morning before. On passing by 
the fig-tree in the evening, the darkness must have prevented the apos- 
tles from seeing it ; but the morning light revealed its withered state. 
Peter called the attention of his Lord to the circumstance, by saying, 
" Master, behold the fig-tree which thou cursedst is withered away." 
From this remark we are led to conclude that the curse pronounced 
by the Lord did not produce an immediate effect upon the tree, but 
caused it gradually to consume and to perish. The apostles, who 
knew the reason of its withered state, must have looked upon it with 
feelings of awe and astonishment. They had never before seen such 
a display of their Lord's pow r er. They had seen life bestowed by his 
word, but never had they seen even the life of a tree taken away. 
Had the Son of God exercised his power as he might have done, his 
enemies had long before been blasted by the breath of his nostrils : 
for it is God who killeth, as well as maketh alive. But he refrained 
from executing judgment, for He came to draw sinners to himself by 
the riches of his goodness, and not to appal them by the terrors of his 
hand. But it was well that his apostles should have proof that he 
could destroy his enemies. They would soon be exposed to a tre- 
mendous trial of faith. They would behold their Master apparently 
overpowered by men. The remembrance of the fig-tree ought to have 
convinced them in that terrible hour that he could have dried up the 
arms stretched out to take him, and struck dumb the tongues that rose 
in judgment against him. 

Nor was it Jesus alone who had power to subdue his enemies. He 
promised similar power to his apostles, even power to wither fig-trees 
and remove mountains. St. Matthew thus records the Lord's answer : 
" Verily I say unto you, if ye have faith and doubt not, ye shall not 
only do that which is done unto the fig-tree, but also if ye shall say 
unto this mountain, ' Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea,' 
it shall be done." Matt. xxi. 26. It is evident that trees and moun- 
tains represent the difficulties and trials of the Christian life. By faith 
they may be overcome. The apostle Paul triumphed over the mes- 
senger of Satan sent to buffet him, and through faith learned to take 
pleasure in infirmities, reproaches, necessities, persecutions, distresses, 
for Christ's sake, because he found the grace of God sufficient for 
him. (2 Cor. xii. 10.) 

It is by believing prayer that such victories are attained. Therefore 
the Lord gave his apostles some directions concerning prayer. He 
knew they were going to spend another day exposed to the malice of 
wicked men, and he warned them against cherishing an unforgiving 
spirit, by saying, " When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught 
against any : that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you 
your trespasses." There are few who are not sometimes injured or 
insulted. It is not enough for us to endeavor to banish the thoughts 
of our enemies from our minds, we must think of them for the pur- 



388 THE ELDERS QUESTION CHRIST. [SEPT. 7. 

pose of asking, " Have I forgiven them ?" We must mention them in 
prayer as objects for whom we especially desire mercy. One who 
has himself been forgiven by God will be enabled to forgive others. 
The spirit of revenge may arise occasionally in his heart ; but the re- 
membrance of what has passed between Jesus and his own soul will 
quench the vindictive feeling, and will make him desire to meet even 
his enemies in glory, and to live with them forever in love. 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Cor. XII. Victory over temptation. 



Matt. XXI. 23-32. — The Elders question Christ concerning his 

authority. 

We are now beginning to read the account of the last two days of 
our Lord's public ministry — the Tuesday and Wednesday before his 
death. There are very ample records of the conversations he held on 
those days. None who heard him, knew that he would so soon cease 
to speak on earth; but ive know that these were his last warnings. 

Early in the morning he arrived as usual at Jerusalem, having con- 
versed with his disciples on the way concerning the withered fig-tree, 
and the power of faith and prayer. He found his enemies much en- 
raged against him, both on account of his words and his doings. They 
had witnessed the buyers and sellers, at his command, quitting their 
accustomed posts. The sight was a reproach to those who had so 
long allowed the profanation of the house of prayer. Having con- 
sulted together, they proposed a question which they imagined he 
could not answer without furnishing them with a new accusation 
against him — " By what authority doest thou these things ?" If he 
should reply, " By the authority of God," then they resolved to accuse 
him of blasphemy ; and if he said, " By my own" of rebellion. But 
the wisdom of the Lord easily confounded the cunning of men. He 
answered by proposing a question they could not answer. Therefore 
they were compelled to reply that they did not know whether John the 
Baptist was a true prophet or not. What a confession for teachers of 
religion to make ! All who hear it might naturally conclude that those 
who did not know whether John were a true prophet, might not know 
whether Jesus was. 

But while his enemies were suffering under the confusion of their 
defeat, the Lord related a parable, which must have confounded them 
still more. There were often gathered around the Saviour a class of 
persons whom the Pharisees considered as the dregs and scum of the 
earth. They were penitents who had once led wicked lives ; they 
were such persons as the rich publican and the weeping sinner. Once 
they had openly disobeyed the command of their God, and had inso- 



SEPT. 8.] PARABLE OF THE HUSBANDMEN. 389 

lently answered, " I will not ;" but afterwards they had repented ; 
while the Pharisees, with all their professions, had never yet really 
obeyed the will of God. It was easy to say which of these characters 
was the most guilty. Even if the open transgressors had never re- 
pented, they would not have been so wicked in God's sight as the false 
pretenders to religion. But they had repented, and, therefore, they 
were fully forgiven, and were as much beloved by God as angels that 
have never sinned. Their repentance added greatly to the guilt of the 
Pharisees, for the very sight of these penitents ought to have convinced 
them of their own need of repentance. 

But the proud have no feelings to vent at the feet ©f Jesus. There 
is no sin that hardens the heart so much as pride. Open sins, though 
they expose to shame and misery in this life, sometimes render men 
more willing to humble themselves before God. A liar, w r ho blushes 
because of the lies he has told, will, perhaps, listen to the voice of 
mercy, while the proud truth-speaker rejects it, because he rests upon 
his integrity. Of all sins let us most beware of pride. It is Satan's 
first-born. It possesses the wonderful faculty of occupying the space 
of any other sin which is cast out of the heart. If intemperance be 
cast out, then pride swells and fills the room that intemperance occu- 
pied before. Often pride will arise and by its own strength cast out 
some other vice, in order that it may have more room to grow in, and 
more food to feed upon. 

Most of all, pride dreads the entrance of the Son of God into the 
heart. Then it knows its reign will be at an end. How it bars and 
bolts the doors of the heart, against the rightful owner ! Yet Christ 
has broken through even these bars. Saul of Tarsus was a proud 
Pharisee, when Jesus spoke to him from heaven ; but he became as 
lowly as that penitent publican, who said, " Lord, be merciful to me a 
sinner." 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts IX. 1 to 31. The conversion of Paul. 



Luke XX. 9-19. — The parable of the rebellious husbandmen in the 

vineyard. 

In this parable the base conduct of the Jewish nation is plainly set 
forth. When the conduct of men towards God is represented in para- 
bles, we perceive its ingratitude and treachery more clearly than we 
did before. And why ? Because there is no being whose claims are 
so little understood by men, as the claims of God. 

Every one will admit, that the lord of the vineyard had a right to 
demand a portion of its fruits, as rent, from the husbandmen. But 
God has a right to all our obedience, and to all our love. To him we 



390 PARABLE OF THE HUSBANDMEN. [SEPT. 8. 

owe all we enjoy, or ever can enjoy : indeed the very 'power of enjoy- 
ment comes from him. But how do men behave towards Him ? In 
the same manner that these husbandmen behaved to their lord. They 
not only refuse to obey God, but are angry with those who reprove 
their disobedience. 

Like these husbandmen, unconverted men become hardened in sin 
The husbandmen treated the servants worse and worse. They beat 
the first servant, shamefully entreated the second, and wounded the 
third. Thus sinners increase in wickedness : for every sin committed 
and not repented of, prepares for the commission of a greater. 

If any of you who have been converted to God, look back upon 
your days of rebellion, you will perceive that you grew worse. There 
was some docility in your childhood, — some fear of evil in your early 
youth, — which were lost as you grew older. If God had not interfered 
by his grace, you would, by this time, have reached a higher pitch of 
iniquity than you ever before attained. There is even in the converted 
a tendency to return to their former state, and there is need constantly 
to apply to God for fresh supplies of His Holy Spirit, or, like a wheel 
upon a sloping bank, they will slide back into their old sins. 

When the Saviour had concluded the parable, he declared the pun- 
ishment the lord would inflict on the husbandmen. "He will come 
and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others." 
This prophecy was intended as a warning to the Jews, who had per- 
secuted the prophets, and were now plotting the death of the Son of 
God. The people understood that the warning applied to themselves, 
for they exclaimed, " God forbid." If they had been as anxious to 
avoid sin as they were to avoid suffering, they would have escaped 
both. What must have been the expression of his countenance when 
Jesus looked upon those who had answered, " God forbid ;" for it is 
said, " He beheld them ?" It must have been a look that seemed to 
say, " Your sorrows are nearer than you suppose, and greater than 
you can bear." 

He now changed the figure from a vineyard to a building, and 
alluded to a passage in Ps. 118, in which it is said, " The stone which 
the builders refused is become the head-stone of the corner." Great 
was the folly of the builders who knew not the value of the finest, 
firmest, most, precious stone that had ever been hewn out of a quarry ; 
and great would be their punishment. That stone, while it lay upon 
the ground, would be a stumbling-block, and those who fell over it 
would be broken ; but it would not always lie upon the ground ; it 
would be exalted, and falling upon the wicked, by the righteous anger 
of God, would grind them to powder. What does this short parable 
signify ? When Christ was a man upon earth, those who rejected him 
sinned, yet not beyond the reach of pardon ; but when he was exalted 
to God's right hand, those who continued to reject him perished eter- 
nally. The everlasting anger of God is represented by this expres- 
sion, " It will grind him to powder." That blessed Saviour who 



SEPT. 9.] THE WEDDING GARMENT. SSI 

might, like a stone, be a support and defence, will become, if we re- 
fuse to believe in him, the instrument of our destruction. If we build 
upon him all our hopes for eternity, he will not fail us : but if we 
neglect him, he will crush us beneath the weight of his righteous in- 
dignation. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. CXVIII. The corner stone. 



Matt. XXII. 1-14. — The parable of the man without a wedding 

garment. 

There is one circumstance concerning this parable which renders 
it peculiarly solemn. It is the last parable recorded, that our Lord 
related in public. There are others, which he related to his apostles in 
private, but there are no more written in the Bible which were spoken 
in the presence of the chief priests and the multitude. 

This parable contains a description of all the different kinds of 
characters that were assembled round the Lord in the temple. Each 
of us who hears this parable now, may find in it his own character. 

There were some who made light of the invitation lo the wedding, 
and went to their farms and to their merchandise. These persons 
represent the worldly-minded and the indifferent. The great mass of 
hearers are of this class. They do not oppose the Gospel by argu- 
ment ; they do not persecute Christians by violence ; but they treat 
serious subjects with levity, and give their hearts and minds to the 
world. They have various tastes ; some are engrossed with business, 
others with society ; some with learning and accomplishments, others 
with domestic duties and delights : but they all agree on this point, — 
they neglect the invitations of the Gospel. 

There were certain persons described in the parable, who took the 
servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. These, we 
know, must represent persecutors, such as the chief priests and 
scribes. The punishment that would soon be inflicted on the mur- 
derers of the Lord was plainly indicated by these words, " But when 
the king heard thereof, he was wroth, and he sent forth his armies, 
and destroyed these murderers, and burned up their city." 

The servants represent prophets, apostles^ ministers, and teachers, 
in all ages, who endeavor to persuade sinners to come to Christ. 

The guests who accepted the invitation, signify all those who make 
a profession of religion. 

The most remarkable character described in the parable is the man 
who had not on a wedding garment. It is the custom in the East, 
when royal feasts are given, to provide each guest with a robe of 
honor, and it would be considered a great insult, if any of those who 



392 CHRIST REPLIES TO THE PHARISEES [ SEPT.. 10 

came were to refuse to wear it. This man had neglected to put it on. 
The servants mav not have observed the omission, or if they had ob- 
served it, they still permitted this rebellious guest to remain seated at 
the table. But when the king came in to see the guests, he imme- 
diately expostulated with the transgressor. And what answer did the 
man return ? What excuse did he make ? None. He was speech- 
less. Now every sinner has many excuses to offer for his transgres- 
sions, but he will not be able to bring them forward when he stands 
before the Son of God. 

The wedding garment signifies that righteousness which Christ has 
promised to bestow on all who believe in him ; it is the linen clean 
and white, spoken of in the Book of Revelation, (xix. 8 :) it is the right- 
eousness which is by faith of Jesus Christ. Every one might obtain 
this precious gift. It is offered to all. To refuse this gift is an insult 
to the King of kings. Are there any here who venture to appear be- 
fore God in their own righteousness, — in that righteousness which the 
prophet Isaiah compares to " filthy rags ?" Are there any who know not 
they are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked, and 
who will not ask for the white raiment that Jesus offers to bestow ? 
(lxiv. 6.) You may escape the observation of your fellow-guests, — 
you may elude the vigilance of the servants, — but when the king 
comes in to see the guests, you will be detected and cast out. All 
our religion will prove utterly worthless, if we stop short of true faith 
and real conversion. That unhappy man might as well have stayed 
away altogether from the feast, as have come there without a wedding 
garment. He would have had less trouble, — less disappointment, — 
less shame, — and perhaps less weeping ; for of all the lest, surely 
none will weep so bitterly as those who imagined to the last they were 
going to heaven. 

Evening Scripture portion. Zeph. I. Strange apparel. 



Matt. XXII. 15-22. — Christ replies to the Pharisees and Herodians 
respecting paying tribute. 

Full of Satanic art and Satanic malice, the Pharisees approached 
the Lord, to ask him a question which they imagined he could not 
answer without exposing himself to danger. It was this. " Is it law- 
ful to give tribute to Caesar or not ?" Caesar was the Roman emperor 
who had conquered the Jewish nation. Could there be any doubt 
whether it was right to pay tribute or taxes to the monarch who ruled 
over them 1 There could be none, because God has commanded sub- 
mission to rulers. But the Pharisees understood the law of God so 
ill, that they considered it was wrong to submit to a heathen governor. 



SEPT. 10.] RESPECTING PAYING TRIBUTE. 393 

This was a false notion. It is true the Jews would never have been 
conquered by the heathen if they had been faithful to God ; but being 
conquered, it was their duty to submit. We read in the prophet 
Ezekiel, that the Lord was once angry with the Jews for breaking 
their covenant with the king of Babylon. (Ez. xvii. 15.) The Phari- 
sees did not venture openly to express their rebellious thoughts, for 
fear of incurring the displeasure of the Romans ; yet they were so base 
as to wish to induce the Lord to endanger his life by uttering the very 
sentiments which they inwardly approved. In this malicious design 
they were assisted by the Herodians. These persons were called 
Herodians after Herod, the governor the Romans had appointed. 
They were not only willing to submit to the Romans in lawful, but 
also in imlawful matters. If the Roman governor gave a command 
contrary to the law of God, they would obey the governor and disobey 
God. We perceive, therefore, that the Pharisees and the Herodians 
had fallen into opposite errors. But the Lord's answer was like a 
two-edged sword. When Jesus said, " Render unto Caesar the things 
that are Caesar's," he reproved the secret notions of the Pharisees, and 
when he said, " Render to God the things that are God's," he reproved 
the avowed doctrine of the Herodians. 

It is interesting to observe how the attempts of man to perplex the 
Son of God only drew forth new treasures of wisdom from his lips ! 
How valuable is this rule, " Render unto Caesar the things that are 
Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's !" It shows us that 
though all things belong to God, yet that some are more peculiarly 
his own. There are certain rights which God has given to kings. 
These rights we must render to them. Parents have certain claims 
upon their children, and children upon their parents. God does not 
require parents to neglect their children in order that they may devote 
all their time to his worship. It was very sinful in the Jews to refuse 
to support their aged parents, and to bring the money they ought to 
have bestowed on them to the priests, saying, " It is Corban, or a gift." 
(Mark vii. 11.) 

But if it is sinful not to render unto men the things which (by God's 
appointment) belong to men, how much more sinful it must be not to 
render unto God the things that belong to God 1 Yet it is in this point 
that we are the most negligent. The world thinks it but a slight fault 
to neglect their Creator. How many parents there are who render to 
their children the love that is due to them, but who render no love to 
God ! There are children to be found who honor their parents, but 
who dishonor God ; servants who obey their masters, but who disobey 
God; masters who act justly towards their servants, but deceitfully 
towards God ; brothers and sisters who live in harmony with each 
other, but at enmity with God. Such persons may say, " I have done 
my duty ; I have done nobody any harm." But what will God say to 
them ? Will he not remember that they have trampled upon His 
.rights ? Will not broken Sabbaths, heartless prayers, neglected Bi- 

50 



394 CHRIST REPLIES TO THE SADDUCEES. [SEPT. 11. 

bles, rise up to condemn them ? God has greater claims upon us than 
any other being can have. He created man in his image, bestowing 
upon him a reasonable soul and an immortal spirit. Therefore we are 
God's, because we bear his image, as the tribute money bore the 
image of Caesar. But God has not only created us ; he has redeemed 
us. When Satan had taken us captive, Christ redeemed us with his 
precious blood, and now he says to each of us, " Ye are not your 
own ; ye are bought with a price ; therefore glorify God in your body, 
and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Cor. vi. 20.) Have we given 
ourselves to the Redeemer ? Is it our chief desire to do his will and 
to promote his glory ? Or do we ungratefully spurn his authority, 
seeking our own pleasure and doing our own will ? 

Evening Scripture portion. Rom. XIII. Obedience to rulers. 



Luke XX. 27-38. — Christ replies to the Sadducees respecting the 

resurrection. 

Here is another instance of precious truth being uttered in answer 
to frivolous questions. What light is thrown upon the eternal state 
by these two sentences ! " They are equal unto the angels ! All live 
unto him." 

The Sadducees did not believe that there would be any resurrec- 
tion of the dead, because they did not understand how it could be. 
When they applied to Jesus they described a case which might have 
occurred under the Jewish law. The land of Canaan was divided into 
small inheritances. If a man died without a child to succeed him, 
God enjoined that his brother should marry the widow, and that if a 
child were born, he should succeed to the property of the deceased 
brother, and be considered as his heir. The Sadducees imagined that 
they had proposed a difficulty that the Lord could not. solve ; but by 
a word he exposed their folly. He declared that departed saints are 
" equal to the angels of God." Angels are not divided into families as 
men are ; and glorified saints will not be connected in heaven with the 
relations they had upon earth. They will have connections, but not 
of an earthly kind. The pastor will rejoice to find again the flock he 
fed below. As St. Paul says to his converts, (1 Thess. ii. 19,) " For 
what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in 
the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming ?" The pious 
parent will find himself united in spiritual bonds to the children who 
were born the second time, in answer to his fervent supplications. 
The friends who bore each other's spiritual burdens up the hill of 
Zion, will walk together by the waters of life that gladden the city of 
their God. Spiritual bonds can never be dissolved. Now is the time 



SEPT. 11.] CHRIST REPLIES TO THE SADDUCEES, 395 

to multiply these bonds. Some who knew upon earth few of the 
sweet ties of kindred will be. bound by numerous sacred everlasting 
ties in heaven. 

But Christ knew that the Sadducees denied not only the resurrec- 
tion of the body, but the immortality of the spirit. Therefore he 
brought forward a proof of the eternal life of the pious dead ; and he 
brought it out of those five books of Moses, in which alone the Sad- 
ducees professed to believe. God would not have said to Moses, when 
he spoke from the burning bush, " I am the God of Abraham," if 
Abraham had ceased to exist, 

How glorious is the idea that all the saints are actually in exist- 
ence ! All those holy men whom we have read of in the Scriptures, 
all whom we have heard of, all whom we have known and loved, — 
they live. They not only live; but are equal to the angels. We 
delight to think of our absent living friends, to imagine how they are 
now engaged, to hope they sometimes think of us, and will some day 
return to us ; but while we are indulging these tender thoughts, they 
may be in pain and trouble ; they may be entangled in sin, and wan- 
dering far from God. But with what confidence may we think of the 
pious dead! When we hear the sweetest strains of music, we may 
think, " Those sounds give but faint ideas of their feelings, as they 
pass from bliss to bliss.' 1 But though we know not the degree of their 
happiness, Jesus did. He had but lately left the blessed company 
above, and now he was going to die that they might live on forever, 
and that their number might continually increase. Once Abel was the 
only redeemed saint in heaven, but at length there shall be a multitude 
that no man can number, who will join in Abel's song, and say, " Sal- 
vation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." 
(Rev. vii. 10.) 

Ten thousand times ten thousand sung 

Loud anthems round the throne, 
When lo ! one solitary tongue 

Began a song unknown ; 
A song unknown to angel ears, 
A song that told of banish'd fears, 
Of pardon'd sins, and dried up tears. 

Not one of all the heavenly host 

Could those high notes attain, 
But spirits from a distant coast 

United in the strain ; 
Till he who first began the song 
(To sing alone not suffer'd long) 
Was mingled with a countless throng. 

And still as hours are fleeting by 

The angels ever bear 
Some newly-ransom'd soul on high 

To join the chorus there ; 
And so the song will louder grow, 
Till all whom Christ redeem'd below 
To that fair world of j apture go. 



396 CHRIST REPLIES TO A SCRIBE. [SEPT. 12. 

O give me, Lord, my golden harp, 

And tune my broken voice, 
That I may sing of troubles sharp, 

Exchanged for endless joys ; 
The song that ne'er was heard before 
A sinner reach'd the heavenly shore, 
But now shall sound for evermore. 

Evening Scripture portion. Exod. III. The God of Abraham. 



Mark XII. 28-34. — Christ replies to a Scribe concerning the 
greatest commandment. 

It is not surprising that the Scribes admired the Lord's answer to 
the Sadducees, because they believed in the resurrection. They 
showed their admiration by exclaiming, " Thou hast well said." Yet 
they did not give up the hope of entangling the divine Teacher by 
questions ; and one of them made this inquiry, " Which is the first 
commandment of all ?" The Scribes often disputed with each other 
on this subject, and some asserted that to offer a certain sacrifice, and 
others that to keep a certain fast, or to repeat certain prayers, or to 
bestow certain alms, was the service the most acceptable to God. 
How much the Lord's reply must have surprised them ! Instead of 
selecting any one command as greater than the rest, he pointed to the 
root of all acceptable obedience, Love. He made only one distinction, 
and that was with regard to the objects towards whom love is to be 
exercised. These objects are " God and man;" and as God is in- 
finitely greater than man, love to Him must be infinitely more im- 
portant than love to man. Yet where love to God is found, love to 
man will always follow ; but it will be a love very different from that 
selfish, capricious, and partial love which unconverted men feel for 
their friends and relatives. 

The Scribe, who asked the question with the evil design of tempt- 
ing the Lord, (as St. Matthew declares,) was convinced by the answer, 
and expressed his sentiments with cordiality and candor. He did not 
speak hypocritically when he said, " Well, Master, thou hast said the 
truth." No other of our Lord's tempters ever showed such readiness 
to receive instruction, and such frankness in avowing his convictions. 
He, who knew his heart, encouraged him by this commendation : 
"Thou art not far from the kingdom of God." He did not say, 
" Thou art in the kingdom of God." He did not say, as once he said 
to a weeping penitent, " Thy faith hath saved thee." He did not say, 
as once he said to a dying thief, " Thou shall be with me in Paradise." 
Yet what he did say was very encouraging. In a world in which so 
many are as far from the kingdom of God, as the east is from the west, 



SErT. 13.] CHRIST QUESTIONS THE PHARISEES. 397 

it is encouraging for a sinner to hear that he is not far from it. It is 
God alone that can draw a soul even to its borders : and it is our hope 
that if he bring it thus far, he will bring it farther still. To perish at 
the very barrier that separates death from life would be awful indeed. 
The shipwrecked mariner who perishes in the waves when in sight 
of the shore, seems in a more pitiable case than one who had not so 
nearly reached his native land and his beloved home. 

Are we convinced that without love all the services we can offer to 
God are worthless ? Even a human creature would not be pleased 
with our gifts, if he knew that we did not love him, and that we present- 
ed them only with the view of gaining a reward. And will God be 
pleased with interested services ? How much has he 'done to win our 
love ? He has given his only-begotten Son to die for our sakes. Is 
not that enough to melt the hardest heart ? There can be no greater 
proof of the natural wickedness of the human heart than this : it finds 
it difficult to love God — to love the most lovely Being, the most gra- 
cious Benefactor. 

Let none of us be satisfied with feeling we ought to love God. As 
soon as a spark of real affection for our heavenly Father is kindled in 
our hearts, then we are in the kingdom of God : then we are safe, then 
we are happy. Not so happy as we shall be when we love him 
more ; but happier than the most prosperous worldling who does not 
love him. Our love can never entitle us to eternal life ; Christ's blood 
can alone do that ; but it affords a proof that we are the children of 
God, and that we shall dwell with him forever ! for " Eye hath not 
seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the 
things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Cor. 
li. 9.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Deut. VI. Love to God. 



Matt. XXII. 41 to end. — Christ questions the Pharisees concerning 

himself. 

We have already admired the wisdom of the Lord's answers. We 
have now an instance of the wisdom of his questions. Though his 
enemies could not perplex him, yet he could easily perplex them. But 
his questions were not like theirs, frivolous ; they were important. 

There is no subject more important than who Christ is. The Phari- 
sees thought they knew, but they were profoundly ignorant on the 
subject. They knew, indeed, the meaning of the word " Christ." It 
signifies " anointed" — one set apart by the anointing of oil as priest 
and king. Jesus was the Christ, anointed of the Father with the 
Holy Ghost, the oil of gladness, to be priest and king forever. In the 



398 CHRIST QUESTIONS THE PHARISEES. [SEPT. 13. 

second Psalm there is a prophecy of this anointed one. " The kings 
of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against 
the Lord, and against his anointed (or his Christ.") The Pharisees 
had read the Scriptures, and they knew that the Christ would come 
into the world, and that he would be born of the family of David. But 
they did not know that the Christ was the Son of God, as well as the 
Son of David. Therefore Jesus brought forward a passage from the 
Psalms, in which David calls the Christ his Lord. It is this, "The 
Lord said unto my Lord." (Ps. ex. 1.) That is, "The Lord the 
Father said unto my Lord the Son." How could David's Son be 
David's Lord? This was a mystery hidden from the Pharisees. It 
is the great mystery of godliness. " God manifest in the flesh." It 
has been revealed to us. We know that from everlasting the Son has 
been with the Father in glory, and that in the fulness of time he was 
born into the world, — the infant of a humble daughter of the royal 
David. Thus he is at once David's Son and David's Lord. 

The Pharisees did not ask him to explain the passage he had quo- 
ted ; for they were contented with their ignorance, and loved darkness 
better than light. But they will understand it when it is too late. 
The prophecy shall be fulfilled. " The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit 
thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." 
Part of it has already been accomplished. Christ is now sitting at the 
right hand of God, but he has not yet come to make his enemies his 
footstool. With what dismay will those who once rejected him behold 
the Son of God when he appears in his glorv ! " Every eye shall see 
him, and they also that pierced him ; and all kindreds of the earth shall 
wail because of him." That is, some of all kindreds shall wail, be- 
cause some of all kindreds have rejected him. It was not the Jews 
only who said, " We will not have this man to reign over us ;" it was 
not the Romans only who pierced him with a spear ; there are many 
belonging to Christian nations who have crucified him afresh and have 
trodden him under foot. (Heb. vi. 6 ; x. 29.) All who do not love him 
are his enemies, and shall be made his footstool. It is a fearful thing 
to fall into the hands of the living God. How terrible it must be to 
be trampled beneath his feet ! Yet those who have trodden under foot 
the Son of God shall, if they do not repent, be trodden under foot 
themselves : for he has declared, " I will tread them in my anger, and 
trample them in my fury." (Isa. Ixiii. 3.) In that day he will save 
his people, and while he makes his enemies his footstool, he will ex- 
alt them to his own throne, for he has said, " To him that overcometh 
will I grant to sit with me in my throne." (Rev. iii. 21.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. CX. CXI. David's Lord. 



SEPT. 14.] CHRIST WARNS THE PEOPLE. 390 



Matt. XXIII. 1-12. — Christ warns the people against the pride of 

the Pharisees. 

This is the last discourse recorded which our Saviour uttered in the 
presence of his enemies. How alarming it is ! Surely those sins must 
be very dangerous which called forth such warnings from the meek 
and gentle Saviour ! The first part of the discourse was not addressed 
to the Pharisees themselves, but to the disciples and to the multitude. 
The Lord warned them against imitating the example of their teachers. 
With regard to their instructions, this was the rule laid down. When 
the Pharisees sat in Moses' seat, that is, when they read the books of 
Moses in the synagogue to the people, then they were to be regarded. 
We know that their false interpretations were not to be received ; for 
our Saviour on one occasion censured them for teaching for doctrines 
the commandments of men. (Matt. xv. 9.) Therefore we perceive 
how we ought to understand the words in verse 3: "All, therefore, 
whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do.'' All the in- 
structions they gave, which agreed with the word of God, the people 
were bound to observe, however wicked their teachers might be. 

The Lord next commanded the people not to imitate the example 
of the Pharisees. " Do not ye after their works" We are apt to 
imitate those we admire. The people admired the Pharisees exceed- 
ingly, for they could not detect their motive. It was pride. All they 
did was to be seen of men ; therefore all they did was abominable to 
God. The phylacteries (those strips of parchment on which texts of 
Scripture were written) were harmless in themselves, but the Phari- 
sees wore them with the wicked desire of gaining admiration from 
men by an appearance of piety. The borders, or fringes on the gar- 
ments, were even commanded by God in the law. In Numbers xv. 
38, the Israelites were desired to put fringes (or borders) on their 
garments, and upon the fringes a riband of blue, in order that when 
they looked upon it they might remember all the commandments of 
the Lord. Christ did not reprove them for wearing these borders, 
but for wearing them in order to be seen of men ; neither did he cen- 
sure them for sitting in the most honorable places at feasts or in the 
synagogue, but for loving to sit there. 

It is natural for men to wish to be noticed and admired. Even 
Christians feel this desire, but they do not cherish it ; no, they abhor 
it, and pray against it, and strive to overcome it. Whenever we feel 
mortified because we have been overlooked, or elated because we 
have been noticed, we should bewail before the Lord the pride of our 
hearts. Why is pride so offensive in God's eyes ? Because it leada 
men to desire to be in the place of God. Pride is never satisfied. 
Were a man to gain the admiration of a hundred persons, he would 
wish to gain that of a hundred more, and his desires would never stop 
till he was the object of universal homage, till he occupied the throne 



400 CHRIST DENOUNCES THREE WOES. [SEPT. 15. 

of the Almighty. It is not wonderful that God abhors a sin that aims 
to dethrone himself, and to render his whole creation miserable. The 
happiness of the universe depends upon God being seated upon his 
own throne, and upon all his creatures submitting to his government. 
God must humble every one that he would save. If we are to be saved, 
we must be humbled. People little know what they are doing when 
they cherish pride in children. Many of the common modes of educa- 
tion are calculated to feed this dangerous passion. The desire to be 
first is encouraged by numerous expedients, when every means ought 
to be used to check the love of distinction in the young heart. Nothing 
can so effectually subdue it as the Gospel of Christ. There man 
learns that he is a polluted being, and that nothing but the blood of 
the crucified Saviour can wash out his stains. Do we believe this 
humbling doctrine ? Then let us remember the words of the apostle 
Paul, " I beseech you that you walk worthy of your vocation where- 
with ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness." (Eph. iv. 2.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Ezekiel XXVIII. Proud Tyre. 



Matt. XXIII. 13-15. — Christ denounces three woes against the 

Pharisees. 

The first sermon recorded which the Lord Jesus preached is called 
the Sermon on the Mount. It began with eight blessings, such as 
these, " Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the meek." But 
now we are reading the last sermon recorded, and we find in it eight 
woes. They are denounced against the Pharisees. The Lord warned 
his disciples against their evil doctrines and example in his first pub- 
lic discourse, saying, "Except your righteousness exceed the righteous- 
ness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in nowise enter the king- 
dom of heaven." He shows in this his last discourse what their 
righteousness was — a mere pretence, an outward show, a cloak to 
secret wickedness. After each wo he uttered, he described a crime. 

The first crime described is " shutting up the kingdom of heaven 
against men." This is the contrary of what Jesus came to do. He 
opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. He opened it by his 
death. All faithful ministers stand at the open door and invite sinners 
to come in. But the Pharisees taught men false ways of salvation. 
When they saw real penitents they frowned upon them, and endeav- 
ored to shut them out. We find in the prophet Daniel this encouraging 
promise : " They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the fir- 
mament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever." 
(Dan. xii. 3.) But what will become of those who have turned many 



SEPT. 15.] CHRIST DENOUNCES THREE WOES. 401 

from righteousness ! What anguish will they feel when they find 
among their companions in torment, many whom they once perverted 
and corrupted ! 

But if the Pharisees had been openly wicked they would not have 
been as guilty as they were. They pretended to be very pious, and 
made long prayers in public places, while secretly they devoured wid- 
ows' houses. It seems that dying men often left the property oi their 
widows to their charge, little suspecting how the trust would be abused. 
How could they dare to injure the widow and the fatherless when 
they read continually in the law of Moses these words : "Ye shall not 
afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in anywise, 
and they shall cry at all unto me, I will hear their cry, and my wrath 
shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall 
be widows, and your children fatherless." Ex. xxii. 22-24. Christ is 
acquainted with every secret sin. He detests sin most when he sees 
it covered by a cloak of hypocrisy. Therefore he said to the Pharisees, 
" Ye shall receive the greater damnation." There are degrees of 
misery. Hypocrites shall be punished more than open transgressors. 
The sins which they have so carefully concealed from men will be pub- 
licly exposed at the last day, and the secrecy with which they were 
committed will be found to add to their enormity. 

Every one would acknowledge that to devour widows' 1 houses is a 
sin ; but every one would not understand at first that it was a sin to 
compass sea and land to make proselytes. It is not a sin to compass 
sea and land to make converts : no, that is a righteous act. Mission- 
aries go to the farther ends of the earth to tell perishing sinners of a 
Saviour. They go, and by the blessing of God, they make some of 
them the children of heaven, such as they are themselves. What is 
a proselyte ? He is a man who changes his religion, whether for a 
better or a worse. The Pharisees took great pains to persuade the 
Gentiles to observe the ceremonies of the Jewish law ; for it gratified 
their pride to add to the number of their own followers. They did not 
desire to save souls ; for while they were, so zealous in making prose- 
lytes, they shut Tip the kingdom of heaven against men. The bad in- 
structions they gave to a proselyte rendered him worse than he was 
before, and even worse than themselves. We should have hardly 
thought it possible that any could be worse than the Pharisees, did we 
not find these words written, " And when he is made, ye make him 
twofold more the child of hell than yourselves." There are degrees 
oi wickedness as well as of misery. Some are more the children of 
hell than others. It is even possible to make another worse than we 
are ourselves. How dangerous it must be to listen to false teachers ! 
If we attend to them we may become worse than they are. How aw- 
ful is the name here given to a wicked man ! " The child of hell !" 
Yet all who are not the children of heaven are the children of hell. 
The world is divided into these two classes. Could the children of 
hell see the place to which they were going, they would tremble, ana 

51 



402 CHRIST DENOUNCES FOUR MORE WOES. [SEPT. 16. 

shrink back with fear. But God sees it, and in his love he warns them 
not to proceed in their dangerous course. He does more. He is 
willing to make them " meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the 
saints of light ;" for he is able to deliver them from " the power of 
darkness." (Col. i. 12, 13.) 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Micah III. Warning to wicked rulers and teachers. 



Matt. XXIII. 16-28. — Christ denounces four more woes against the 

Pharisees. 

Our God is the God of truth. There was no truth in the Phari- 
sees. They taught lies, and they acted lies. In the passage we have 
just read a wo is denounced against them for teaching lies. They 
taught the people that the gold of the temple was more holy than the 
temple itself; and that the gift on the altar was more holy than the 
altar : whereas it was clear that it was the temple that sanctified the 
gold, and the altar that sanctified the gift. 

What could be their molive for teaching these errors ? No doubt it 
was the love of money. They hoped to induce the people to bestow 
much gold, and to offer many gifts as sacrifices, that by these means 
they themselves might grow rich. The love of money has in all ages 
led men to teach falsehood. Roman Catholic priests gain money by 
the masses they repeat for the dead. They tell the people that the 
souls of their relations are in torment, and that they can release them 
by repeating prayers or masses on their behalf; but they will not re- 
peat these masses, unless money is given to them. One mark of a 
faithful minister is his indifference to worldly gain, or Xo filthy lucre, 
as the Scriptures call it. Like St. Paul he can say, "I seek not yours, 
but you:' (2 Cor. xii. 14.) 

The Pharisees not only spake lies, they acted them. They pre- 
tended to be so very pious, that they would not omit paying tithes to 
the priests of the smallest herbs ; while at the same time they omitted 
paying to God the greatest duties they owed to him, such as judg- 
ment, mercy, and faith. And why? Because men could see them 
when they gave their tithes, but God alone knew the state of their 
hearts. 

Are there not some like the Pharisees in these days ? They are 
careful to perform religious services when the eye of man is upon them ; 
but they are indifferent when the eye of God alone observes. They 
attend church regularly because men see them there. But do they 
pray in secret regularly ? They are very careful of their words, be- 
cause m.en hear them ; but they are very careless about their thoughts. 



SEPT. 17.] CHRIST DENOUNCES THE LAST WO. 403 

because God alone sees them. What can better represent such char- 
acters than cups clean outside and filthy within, than sepulchres beau- 
tifully ornamented containing dead men's bones ? 

How different is the description that the Holy Spirit has given of 
the saints ! St. Paul says, "We have this treasure in earthen vessels/' 
(1 Cor. iv. 7.) The saints are despised by the world, and valued no 
more than an earthen vessel ; but in their hearts a treasure is hid — it 
is Christ, the hope of glory. (Col. i. 27.) In the sight of God, who 
sees the heart, they are precious as gold and silver. It is true that 
they are not without sin ; but God has promised to refine them, as gold 
and silver are purified from their dross. (Mai. iii. 2.) But the wicked 
are compared to the dross of silver, and to the baser metals. God 
said to Ezekiel, "Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become 
dross ; all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of 
the furnace ; they are even the dross of silver." And what would God 
do to these impenitent, unbelieving, unconverted people ? " Because 
ye are all become dross, behold therefore, I will gather you into the 
midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, (that is, the dross of silver,) 
and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to 
blow the fire upon it to melt it; so will I gather you in my anger and in 
my fury ; and I will leave you there, and melt you/' (Ezek. xxii. 18- 
20.) Afflictions do not refine hypocrites ; but destroy them. God 
leaves them in their troubles, and suffers them to perish. But if our 
hearts are right in the sight of God, he will never leave us. His 
promise to every one who sincerely loves him is, " I will be with him 
in trouble ; I will deliver him, and honor him." Are there any here 
who never cry earnestly to God for a clean heart, and a right spirit ? 
What will you do in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men 
by Jesus Christ? (Rom. ii. 16.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Mai. III. God sits as a refiner. 



Matt. XXIII. 29-36. — Christ denounces the last wo against the 

Pharisees. 

This is the last of the eight woes that the Lord denounced against 
the Pharisees. Eight times he uttered these words, " Wo unto you, 
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites." Eight times he described their 
hypocritical character. The last instance of hypocrisy mentioned, is 
the building of the tombs of the prophets. This was an hypocritical 
act in the Pharisees, because it was not done from love and reverence 
to the martyred prophets, but merely from pride and ostentation. If 
they had reverenced the ancient prophets, they would not have perse- 
cuted the living ones. It is very probable that they really thought 



404 CHRIST DENOUNCES THE LAST WO. [SEPT. 17. 

that tney would not have been partakers with their fathers in the blood 
of the prophets ; but they did not know their own hearts. It is very 
easy to deceive ourselves respecting our own characters. When we 
read of wicked actions, it is natural to think that we would not have 
committed them, had we been placed in the circumstances of those 
we read of. But this is not the way to come to a knowledge of our- 
selves. Let us not inquire how we should have treated the apostles 
or the reformers, had we lived in their days, but let us rather inquire 
how do we behave towards despised saints in these days ? Do we 
love all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ ? Are we ready to re- 
lieve their wants, and to defend their characters ? When the saints 
are praised and admired, it is easy then to speak in their favor ; but 
when they are despised and calumniated, then it requires faith to take 
their part, and to share in their reproach. 

With what honor the Son of God mentioned those holy men who 
had been slain in former times ! What a title he bestowed on Abel, 
when he called him " righteous Abel !" The waters of the flood had 
not washed out the stains of his blood from the earth. We know the 
names of very few of those prophets who were slain between the time 
of Abel and of Zachariah, but all their names were known to Jesus at 
the moment he was speaking, — all their spirits were happy in his 
Father's presence, and all their blood was crying for vengeance from 
the earth. And upon whom would that vengeance descend ? Upon 
that generation to whom Jesus then spoke — upon that generation who 
would exceed all their fathers in wickedness, by slaying the Son of 
God, and by refusing the offer of pardon that his apostles would pro- 
claim. Jesus declared, " All these things shall come upon this genera- 
tion." But not upon that generation alone. The sufferings of the 
Jewish nation are not yet ended. Unto this day they are wander- 
ers on the face of the earth, even as Cain was who slew his brother 
Abel. 

Can parents bear the idea of entailing a curse upon their children ? 
Long after they are sleeping in their graves their offspring may be 
suffering the consequences of their sins. A family is plunged from 
the height of affluence into the depth of poverty; disease sweeps away 
the fair blossoms from a flourishing tree ; public crime inflicts a dark 
blot upon a reputable name — and men know not tha cause of these 
visitations. Sometimes they are sent, like the afflictions of Job, and 
the temptations of Abraham, to try the faith of God's dear children, 
and as tokens of a Father's love : but sometimes they are the memo- 
rials of sins perpetrated long before, — of sins unpardoned and unre- 
pented of. The cruel treatment of a fatherless child, the treacherous 
robbery of a master, the bitter persecution of a saint, are often visited 
upon the unrighteous descendants of those who committed the guilty 
acts. God fulfils his own word by visiting the iniquities of the fathers 
upon the children unto the third and fourth generations of them that 
hate him. 



SEPT. 18.] CHRIST LAMENTS OVER JERUSALEM. 405 

But He will never let his wrath burn against the righteous son of 
ungodly parents. No, if the son repent, he shall obtain mercy. The 
good king Josiah, though the son of a very wicked father, was spared 
when God was going to pour torrents of wrath upon his kingdom. Be- 
cause his heart was tender, because he humbled himself, and wept 
and prayed, therefore God said, " Thou shalt be gathered to thy grave 
in peace." Pious children who have ungodly parents yet living, may 
pray for them, and may obtain mercy for them also. Far from punish- 
ing the children for their parents' sake, he may bless those parents for 
their children's sake. " For he is gracious and merciful, slow to an- 
ger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil." (Joel ii. 
13.) 

Evening Scripture portion. 
2 Chron. XXXIV. 14 to end. The blessing bestowed upon King Josiah. 



Matt. XXIII. 37 to end. — Christ laments over Jerusalem. 

Could the most feeling heart bewail the calamities of his friend 
more tenderly than the Lord here bewails the awful end of his ene- 
mies ? It was not because he loved them not that he had addressed 
the Pharisees in these terrible words, " Ye serpents, ye generation of 
vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell ?" Those whom he 
now called serpents, he would have treated as the hen her beloved 
brood. When that careful bird descries a hawk or a kite hovering in 
the air, she calls her little ones to take refuge beneath her sheltering 
wings. The Lord Jesus descried afar off the woes that were about to 
light upon the heads of his guilty nation, and he gave them warning of 
their approach ; but they would not heed his words, nor accept his in- 
vitations. And now the time was come when hope had nearly expired. 
" Behold," said the Lord, " your house is left unto you desolate." But 
though he said " Behold," the Jews beheld no desolation. The tem- 
ple was shining in all its splendor ; the walls of Jerusalem were stand- 
ing in all their strength ; the feast of the Passover was thronged with 
guests ; the land was flowing with milk and honey ; where was the 
desolation ? It was nigh at hand, even at the door. The Son of God 
heard its step upon the mountains, and saw its shadow upon the hills. 
Before the voices of those children who sang his praises in the temple 
should become tremulous through age, the enemy would cause the 
sound of melody to cease in the Lord's house. How long has the 
silence continued ! Visit Mount Moriah, where once the temple stood. 
Behold that stately building, crowned with domes and minarets. It is 
not a Christian church. Is it a heathen temple ? No, it is a Mahom- 
medan mosque, the pride of the Turks, the masterpiece of their archi- 



406 CHRIST COMMENDS A POOR WIDOW. [SEPT. 19, 

tecture. Neither Christian nor Jew may now tread upon the spot 
where the Redeemer stood and taught. And thus it shall be, till the 
times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Then there shall be a great and 
glorious change. It is described in this last verse. " For I say unto 
you, ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, ' Blessed is he 
that cometh in the name of the Lord.' " When the Saviour comes the 
second time, he will meet with a very different reception from that 
which he received the first time. He expired amidst curses, but he 
shall return amidst blessings. 

How wonderful are the dealings of God with the Jewish nation ? 
Instead of casting them off forever, he has only cast them out for a 
time. He says to them, by the mouth of his prophet Isaiah, " In a 
little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting 
kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.' , 
(Is. liv. 7, 8.) 

Are there any among us with whom the Lord has dealt in the 
same merciful manner? Some, who in their youthful days hardened 
their hearts against the Gospel, after wandering long in forbidden and 
dangerous paths, have been permitted once more to hear the joyful 
sound, and have heard it the second time with altered feelings, and a 
new delight. When God had spoken to them in their prosperity, they 
had replied, " I will not hear ;" but when he had destroyed their 
earthly delights, they welcomed the messenger of mercy, and ex- 
claimed, " Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." 

Evening Scripture portion. Rom. XI. The restoration of the Jews. 



Mark XII. 41 to end. — Christ commends a poor widow. 

The time was drawing near when the Lord Jesus would leave the 
temple, never to return. Before he left it, he sat for a while in the 
court called the women's court. The inner court was called the court 
of Israel, and there no one was permitted to sit down; but in the 
women's court sitting was allowed. Under the pillars that adorned the 
court eleven chests were placed, and upon each chest was written the 
purpose to which money cast in it, would be applied. None of them 
were for the relief of the poor ; all were set apart for the supply of 
the various sacrifices and services of the temple. 

The people presented their offerings within the view of Jesus. 
Many who were rich cast in much. It is probable these rich men 
were Pharisees. The Lord had lately upbraided them for their cov- 
etousness. He did not now applaud their liberality. He knew that 
though they gave much, they kept more. He saw also their motives, 
and he was acquainted with their secret practices. But while he 



SEPT. 19.] CHRIST COMMENDS A POOR WIDOW. 407 

passed over the rich, his eye rested upon a certain poor widow, who 
cast in two mites, which made a farthing. It is said in one place that 
two sparrows are sold for a farthing : that farthing was the fourth part 
of a penny ; this farthing was the fortieth part of a penny ; — the 
fortieth part of the wages of a day-laborer. 

There is very little recorded concerning the poor widow ; neither 
her name, nor her parentage, nor her history, nor her abode. But she 
was well known to Jesus. He knew not only what she put into the 
treasury, but also that she had nothing remaining. He knew all her 
circumstances in this life — the depth of her poverty, and how she fell 
mto it. It may be that she was the victim of one of those proud 
Pharisees, who devoured widows' houses. He knew not only her 
circumstances, but her heart — the feelings with which she approached 
the treasury and cast in her mites. It may be that she had just 
received some great deliverance, and that she testified her gratitude by 
her gift. It may be that, like the aged Anna, she derived her chief 
consolation from attending the services of the temple, from listening 
to the psalms sung continually within its walls, and from joining in the 
worship which accompanied the daily offerings. It is probable that 
she had heard the Saviour's gracious words within that sacred place, 
and had found salvation through faith in his name. She must have 
been a believer in the promises of God, or she could not have 
presented an acceptable offering. For it is written, " Through faith 
Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain." (Heb. xi.) 

The believing poor still present their farthings to the Lord ; — their 
mites are still precious in his sight. They may not be noticed by 
men, but they are not overlooked by God. He knows whence all the 
money comes that enters into his treasury ; and he can distinguish the 
guinea which dropped out of the overflowing coffers of a rich man, 
from the last farthing of a poor one. There are some in our days who 
have displayed the same faith that actuated the widow. There was a 
man who spent his all in going from city to city, from country to 
country, to plead for the souls of the .poor. Wherever he went, he 
stirred up his fellow- Christians to form town-missions, which might 
penetrate into every dark abode of ignorance and misery. He died in 
the midst of his years and of his labors, and left not enough to pro- 
cure his winding-sheet, much less to sustain his infant family. But 
God raised up friends who honorably buried him, and comfortably 
provided for his widow and her babes.* Our gracious Lord is faithful, 
and never forsakes those who put their trust in him. We may feel 
assured that the widow who cast in all her living into the treasury, 
was not suffered to pine with want the day after. And every one who 
has faith to act as she did, will be approved as she was, and sustained 
as she was, and at the last day acknowledged as she will be. 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Cor. VIII. Exhortation to liberality 
* David Nasmith, who died 1839. 



408 THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE. [sEPT. 20. 



Matt. XXIV. 1, 2. — Christ foretells the destruction of the temple. 

These words record a very remarkable event — "Jesus went out, 
and departed from the temple." 

That was a memorable moment when the Lord Jesus departed from 
the temple, never again to enter it — that temple into which he had 
been carried as a babe in his mother's arms, and where he had been 
blessed by the aged Simeon ; from that temple where, as a child, he 
had astonished the doctors by his wisdom — from that temple where he 
had healed so many sufferers, and spoken peace to so many penitents. 
Never more would he honor it with his presence ; his enemies might 
have it to themselves, to repeat within its sacred courts for a few more 
years their hypocritical services. On another altar he would bleed, 
even the altar of the cross ; to another temple he would ascend, even 
to the temple in heaven, to stand before the altar there, with the golden 
censer in his hand. (Rev. viii. 3.) 

Had the disciples known their Master as well as they might have 
known him, they would not have directed his attention to the splendor 
of the holy house. How could they expect that the King of Heaven 
would admire earthly magnificence ! The world's glory must have 
appeared dark indeed to Him who had dwelt in the palace of eternal 
light ! 

A little while before, he had called his disciples unto him. For 
what purpose ? Was it to show them such an object as the world ad- 
mires ? A monarch gorgeously arrayed, or a building beautifully 
adorned ? or even a prospect of surpassing loveliness ? No ; it was to 
show them a sight pleasing in God's eyes — a poor widow devoted in 
heart to his service. For what a different purpose the disciples came 
to their Master ! 

Instead of admiring the temple's magnificence, Jesus uttered this 
astonishing prophecy : " There shall not be left one stone upon anoth- 
er that shall not be thrown down." For nine years before the Sa- 
viour's birth, Herod the Great had kept eighteen thousand workmen 
continually employed in repairing the temple, and since his death the 
Jews had continued to improve it. It was built upon a massive rock, 
and was composed of stones, some of which were sixty feet in length. 
Who could believe that such stones would be thrown down ! Yet in 
about forty years after the prophecy had been uttered, the place where 
the temple stood was a ploughed held ; for the Romans caused the 
foundations to be dug up in search of hidden treasures. 

God knows the fate of every building which now attracts human 
admiration. The mosque of Omar, that stands where once the tem- 
ple stood, has its appointed time. All the edifices that human hands 
have reared, since the tower of Babel was begun, shall perish : they 
may be demolished by the conqueror, or swallowed up by an earth- 
quake, or gradually crumbled away by the hand of time — but if they 



SEPT. 21.] CHRIST FORETELLS THE SIGNS OF THE END. 409 

escape all these enemies, they shall at length be consumed in the 
flames ; for God has declared, " The earth, and the works that are 
therein, shall be burned up. Seeing, then, that all these things shall 
be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy con- 
versation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the 
day of God?" (2 Pet. iii. 10, 11.) But there are some things which 
shall endure. Though every stone in the temple has been thrown 
down, the poor widow that cast her mite into the treasury still lives. 
Her love still lives. It led her once to offer two mites, and now it 
leads her to offer never-ending praises. When we behold a splendid 
building, let us remember that a poor tattered believer is more glori- 
ous in God's sight than that pompous fabric. Men may think him un- 
fit to enter the magnificent gate, or to tread upon the marble floor ; 
but God has prepared for him a building not made with hands, eternal 
in the heavens — a building that shall endure when all earthly palaces 
and temples shall melt with fervent heat. 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. II. Earthly glory. 



Matt. XXIV. 3-14. — Christ foretells the signs of the end. 

How interesting was the scene upon Mount Olivet when the Sa- 
viour sat there instructing his disciples concerning things to come ! 
The prospect he beheld must have filled his heart with sad thoughts. 
It was Jerusalem, that crowned the opposite heights — Jerusalem ! the 
city over which he had wept only a few days before — Jerusalem, that 
city in which he had done so many miracles — Jerusalem, that city in 
which he was so very soon to be tried and condemned. 

When we look upon a place which we have often visited, we think 
of past events ; but when Jesus looked upon Jerusalem he thought 
not only of the past, but also of the future. 

The disciples did not leave their Master to meditate alone upon that 
mount. Four of them approached and proposed some important ques- 
tions. The names of these four are recorded by St. Mark : they were 
James and John, Peter and Andrew, the fishermen of Gennesareth. 
The inquiries they made were these : " When shall these things be ? 
And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world V 
What things did they refer to in their first question ? A little while 
before their Lord had said, when gazing on the magnificent buildings 
of the temple, " There shall not be left here one stone upon another, 
that shall not be thrown down." It was natural that the disciples 
should desire to know when these wonderful events would happen ; 
they said, " When shall these things be ?" Had they asked no other 
question, it would have been clear that the whole of the Lord's answer 

52 



410 CHRIST DIRECTS HIS DISCIPLES [SEPT. 22. 

related to the destruction of Jerusalem ; but they added a second in- 
quiry, "What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the 
world ?" 

The Lord answered both these inquiries as he sat upon Mount 
Olivet. It is difficult for us to know certainly what part of the an- 
swer relates to the destruction of Jerusalem, and what part relates to 
the second coming. Before Jerusalem was destroyed, there were 
many wars and persecutions ; and there are wars and persecutions 
still. What mournful signs these are, of the coming of Christ ! When 
he was born at Bethlehem, the angels sang, il Glory to God in the 
highest, on earth peace, good will towards men." This song would 
have led us to expect that wars would cease now the Prince of peace 
was come. But eighteen hundred years have rolled away, and vio- 
lence still prevails upon the earth. The joyful song in the fields of 
Bethlehem is very unlike the mournful discourse upon the Mount of 
Olives. Yet both are true. When the Babe that lay in the manger 
shall sit upon his throne, the earth shall be filled with the glory of the 
Lord. Meanwhile there must be trials, and afflictions, and tempta- 
tions. Jesus has faithfully warned us beforehand. He has told us 
that many will be offended, and that many will be deceived, and that 
the love of many will grow cold. When we read these prophecies we 
should offer up such a prayer as this : " May I never be offended, or 
deceived, or cooled in my love !" When we hear of any who have 
turned back from following the Lord, let us think of the touching 
words he once spoke to his apostles, " Will ye also go away ?" Surely 
none will feel so much ashamed to see him again as those who pro- 
fessed to walk with him a little way, and to love him for a little while, 
but whose feet grew weary, and whose love waxed cold ! how they 
will wish that they had never heard his name, nor listened to his voice ! 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Thess. I. Future judgments on persecutors. 



Matt. XXIV. 15-23. — Christ directs his disciples when to flee from 

Jerusalem. 

These warnings proved exceedingly useful to the first Christians. 
They remembered the words, " When ye therefore shall see the 
abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in 
the holy place ; then let them which be in Judea flee into the moun- 
tains." Nearly forty years after these words were uttered, the Roman 
armies stood in the holy place ; that is, in the holy city of Jerusalem. 
These armies were prophesied of under the name of " the abomination 
of desolation." The world admires great conquerors, and their gallant 



SEPT. 22.] WHEN TO FLEE FROM JERUSALEM. 411 

troops, but the Lord abhors deeds of injustice and cruelty. The Ro- 
man name shines bright in the page of history, but it is a blot in the 
word of God : " the abomination of desolation." 

But some may inquire, " How could the Christians escape from 
Jerusalem when the Romans had entered the city ?" God showed his 
faithfulness by providing a way of escape for his own people. When 
the Romans first attacked the city, they were repulsed — they fled, and 
they did not return to the city for several years. The Christians took 
advantage of their defeat to flee to the mountains. They found a 
place wherein to dwell in safety ; a little town called Pella, beyond 
the river Jordan, hidden among the hills, was their refuge. It is be- 
lieved that not one Christian was in the city of Jerusalem at the time 
of its dreadful destruction. Does not the escape of these Christians 
afford a striking instance of the manner in which God preserves his 
people ? When he destroyed the world by water, he saved Noah ; 
when he destroyed Sodom, he saved Lot ; and when he will destroy 
the world by fire, he will save his people. As it is written in Ps. 
xxxii., " For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time 
when thou mayest be found : surely in the floods of great waters they 
shall not come nigh unto him." 

It was the time of the Passover when the Roman armies, headed 
by the great Titus, returned to attack Jerusalem. Two millions of 
human beings were then enclosed within her walls. And what human 
beings ! Many of them were ferocious robbers. Two wicked men, 
named Simon and John, were at open war with each other, and kept 
the city in continual tumult. Through their means most of the provi- 
sions were burned, and the inhabitants speedily reduced to famine. 
The robbers broke into houses, and insisted upon the inmates deliver- 
ing up their last morsel. During the whole period of the siege no 
regular meal was taken. Each ate his morsel alone, in fear and trem- 
bling. One unnatural mother was induced by hunger to roast her own 
child, and to eat part of it. The odor of her meal attracted the Jew- 
ish soldiers to her house ; they compelled her to produce her strange 
food ; but when they beheld the awful spectacle, they retreated in 
horror, for now they clearly saw that God had abandoned the city, and 
that no hope remained to its wretched inhabitants. 

The pen of Josephus, an unbelieving Jew, has described the calami- 
ties of the siege ; and he has wound up his account by these words : 
" If the misfortunes of all from the beginning of the world were com- 
pared with those of the Jews, they would appear much less upon the 
comparison." This is an unbeliever's testimony to the truth of the 
prophecy, " There shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the 
beginning of the world to this time." If those days had not been 
shortened, the whole nation must have perished ; but this could not be, 
because of the elect. Some of the Jews were chosen of God, and for 
their sakes the days of tribulation were shortened ; and the siege lasted 
little more than three months. But is the tribulation over? O no. 



412 CHRIST DESCRIBES HIS SECOND COMING. [sept. 23. 

The Jews are still wanderers upon the face of the earth ; they are still 
despised, dejected, degraded. It is an awful thing not to listen to the 
voice of mercy. The Jews would not hear it, and they have been 
compelled, to hear the voice of torath. The Lord delights in mercy. 
Are there any here who have not yet accepted his gracious invitations ? 
O what sorrows you might escape, if now you would turn to him ! 

Evening Scripture portion. Dan. IX. The abomination of desolation. 



Matt. XXIV. 23-31. — Christ describes his second coming. 

What comfort it has been to believers during the last eighteen 
hundred years, to know that Jesus will return in a public manner ! 
" As the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the 
west ; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be." The inhabitants of 
all parts of the world will know in the twinkling of an eye that Jesus 
is returned, for they will see him coming in the clouds of heaven. Had 
it not been for this assurance, in what a state of agitation they would 
have been kept ! They would have listened with eagerness to every 
report of his return, and would have thought it well at least to go and 
see whether it were true. But now they feel an unshaken confidence, 
that whenever he appears they shall see him immediately. They 
know also that wherever they may be at the time, they will be gathered 
unto him, even as the eagles are gathered from distant parts to feast 
upon their prey. Whether they be dead or living when he comes, 
they shall behold the first bright beams of his chariot. Whether they 
be lying in their graves, or in the depths of the sea, they shall be 
caught up to meet him in the air : whether engaged in their daily toil, 
or partaking of their nightly repose, they shall be changed, and trans- 
lated to join the blessed company. 

And did the Lord give his disciples any information concerning the 
time of his second coming? Yes : he said it should happen " imme- 
diately after the tribulation of those days." To what tribulation does 
he refer ? This is a question that has perplexed many attentive read- 
ers of Holy Scripture. Some consider the tribulation that the Jews 
have endured during the last eighteen hundred years is here spoken of. 
Are they not still in tribulation ? St. Luke gives this account of our 
Lord's words : " Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, un- 
til the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." The Turks are still in pos- 
session of Jerusalem ; their mosque still pollutes the holy mount where 
once the temple stood ; but when the tribulation of the Jews is over, 
when they are restored to their own land, and their own city, their 
King will return to take possession of his ancient throne. He was 
born King of the Jews, he died King of the Jews, and King of the Jews 



SEPT. 24.] SUDDENNESS OF CHRIST'S SECOND COMING. 413 

he will return ; but not of the Jews only, but King of kings, and Lord 
of lords. How glorious is the description of his return in Rev. xix. 
11! " And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and he 
that sat upon him was called Faithful and true, and in righteousness 
he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and 
on his head were many crowns ; and he had a name written that no 
man knew but he himself." 

Yet the glory of the second coming is not so wonderful as the hu- 
miliation of the first. It seems suitable to the Son of God to return in 
the clouds with a vast army of saints and angels ; but it is amazing 
that he should have entered the world as a babe, have been laid in a 
manger, and nailed unto a cross. And why did he come in this lowly, 
in this ignominious manner ? That when he came again to destroy 
the world, he might gather his elect from the four winds, from one end 
of heaven to the other. All these scattered ones have believed in the 
crucified Jesus, and have been washed in his blood; therefore their 
garments are clean and white, and they are fit to enter into the presence 
of their Lord, and to dwell with him forever. 

Evening Scripture portion. Rev. XIX. Christ's second coming. 



Matt. XXIV. 32-41. — Christ foretells the suddenness of his second 



What must have been the feelings of the disciples when they heard 
their Lord declare, " This generation shall not pass till all these things 
be fulfilled !" Though the Lord had directed them how to escape from 
Jerusalem, yet they must have felt compassion for their countrymen 
who would suffer the " great tribulation." What should we feel if we 
knew that London, now so prosperous and nourishing, would in the 
course of forty years be steeped in blood, and filled with carcasses ! 
Thanks be unto God, we have heard no such evil tidings. Though 
now full of ignorance and vice, of poverty and misery, it may become 
enlightened and happy, through the spread of the gospel in all its dark 
alleys and crowded courts. But the disciples could entertain no such 
hopes concerning Jerusalem. They knew that if they were spared to 
see old age, they would hear of the destruction of their native city. 

Before the beginning of this discourse, they had asked two questions ; 
the first was, "When shall these things be?" This inquiry referred 
to the stones of the temple being thrown down. The other question 
was, " What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the 
world ?" To this question our Lord seems to refer when he says, 
" But of that day and hour knoweth no man ; no, not the angels of 
heaven, but my Father only." How remarkable it is that the time of 



414 CHRIST COUNSELS HIS DISCIPLES [SEPT. 25. 

Christ's second coming should be concealed from the knowledge of 
every creature ! Angels know not the time ; they know not when 
they shall be summoned to attend their King in his chariot of clouds. 
Devils know not the time ; they know not when they shall be immured 
in their dark prison, and no longer permitted to tempt the inhabitants 
of the earth, and of the sea. Wicked men know not the time ; they 
know not when their day of grace will end. Righteous men know not 
the time ; they know not when they shall be caught up to meet their 
Lord in the air. 

When Jerusalem was destroyed, the righteous had to flee ; but 
when Christ returns, it is the wicked who will attempt to flee, and will 
not be able. The same Almighty arm that will save the righteous, will 
arrest the wicked in their flight. How great will be their consterna- 
tion when they find themselves suddenly separated from their pious 
kindred ! The very day in which this event takes place, the}r will arise 
ignorant of what it w T ill bring forth. Two men will be in the field, 
digging, or ploughing, or reaping. One may have just vented his pro- 
fane oaths, while the other may have reproved him, and reminded him 
of the future judgment, — when suddenly the angels may bear away the 
faithful laborer into the presence of his Saviour, and leave his ungodly 
companion to taste the terrors of his wrath. Two women will be en- 
gaged in domestic labors ; grinding at a mill, or employed in some 
other household work. They may both that morning have sung the 
same hymn, and have appeared to join in the same prayer ; but while 
one was a humble believer, the other was a lover of the world. Christ 
will suddenly reveal their true characters, by taking one to dwell with 
him, and by leaving the other to sink into perdition. Should not each 
of us ask himself, " If the Lord were to come to-day, what would be- 
come of me ? Has He heard me imploring earnestly for pardon, and 
his Holy Spirit ? When He looks into my heart, does He see that I 
love Him ?" 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Is. LXV. The Lord/s enemies divided from his servants. 



Matt. XXIV. 42-44. — Christ counsels his disciples to watch for his 

return. 

Why did the Lord conceal from all the time of his second coming ? 
We know not why he concealed it from angels or from devils, but we 
do know why he concealed it from men. It was that they may be 
watching for his return. He said, "Watch, therefore, for ye know 
not what hour your Lord doth come." He who made us is acquainted 
with all the secret springs of our nature. He knows that when we 



SEPT. 25.] TO WATCH FOR HIS RETURN. 415 

have a long time before us, we are disposed to loiter. There is a 
spirit of sloth and delay that steals over our hearts, which nothing 
overcomes so much as the idea that the opportunity for exertion may 
soon be past. Though our Lord may appear to tarry, we must never 
cease to believe that he will soon come. As it is written, " For yet a 
little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry." 
(Heb. x. 37.) When we have been expecting a friend for a long time, 
we at length grow weary of waiting, and " give him up." We say, 
" Surely now he will not come at all." Yet sometimes he arrives just 
as we have given him up. We must never give up expecting Christ, 
for he has positively promised that he will come. f But he has not 
promised to prolong our lives till his return. Millions have dropped 
into the grave during his absence, and it is very probable that we may 
descend into ours. 

The day of death is as uncertain as the day of his return. The 
young die as well as the old, the healthy as well as the sickly, the 
cautious as well as the adventurous. We all know that this day we 
may die. It does not require faith to believe that we may die ; for 
reason convinces us of this fact. Yet is it not remarkable that death 
generally comes unexpectedly ; — even to the old ? They have lived 
so long, that they naturally imagine they shall live longer still. They 
have seen the arrow of destruction pass by them so often, piercing 
their companions, but sparing them, that their fears are quelled, and 
their hearts are lulled to repose. It often happens that just as men 
have made their plans for long life, they are visited by sudden death. 
A house has just been built, and a garden planted, when he that built 
and planted is called to dwell in another abode, and to walk in other 
regions. These unexpected removals say with a loud voice to the 
living, " Be ye also ready." 

But what if, instead of death, the Lord were to come ? His return 
would create more alarm than death has ever done. When death 
attacks an ungodly man, his senses are often stupified by disease ; he 
is less capable of feeling alarm than when in full health. But when 
Christ returns, he will find his enemies lively and strong. A sick man 
usually entertains hopes of recovery till near his last hour ; but when 
Christ returns, the wicked will see no way of escape. Friends sur- 
round the pillow of the dying man ; some sooth and flatter him, some 
counsel and encourage him : but when the Judge appears, the wicked 
will be left to meet their awful fate, without one friendly arm to render 
aid, one pitying eye to shed a tear, one pious tongue to offer a prayer. 

Do we desire to escape the terrors of that awful moment? there is 
but one certain refuge. It is the Lord Jesus, who is now ready to 
hear our prayers, to forgive our sins, to bestow his grace, and to be 
our hiding-place in the day of trouble. If we neglect this precious 
opportunity, he will come on us as a thief, and we shall not know what 
hour he cometh upon us. (Rev. iii. 3.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. XXIV. Terrors of the last day. 



416 FAITHFUL AND UNFAITHFUL SERVANTS. [sEPT. 26. 



Matt. XXIV. 45 to end. — Christ describes the end of faithful and 
unfaithful servants. 

This part of our Lord's discourse applied with peculiar force to the 
apostles. They had been made rulers over their Lord's household. 
But it also applies to all ministers, for they are all stewards of the 
mysteries of God. A sacred trust is committed to them ; and if they 
neglect it, their condemnation will be very heavy. If the laborer in 
the field, if the women grinding at the mill, were ungodly, they would 
perish : but if the steward of spiritual things was unfaithful, how 
much more miserably would he perish ! How happy are those minis- 
ters whom death has found watching over their household ! It signified 
not, indeed, whether they died in their pulpits or in their beds ; but it 
signified much whether their hearts were truly in their work. Faith- 
ful ministers, like St. Paul, feel continual sorrow in their hearts for 
their brethren who know not God. Like him they can also say, when 
they think of their children in the faith, " We joy for your sakes be- 
fore our God." (1 Thess. iii. 9.) 

It is awful to think that there are some ministers whom Christ calls 
" evil servants." They think in their heart that the Lord delayeth his 
coming. Then they begin to abuse the power committed to them, and 
to ill-treat the saints of God, their fellow-servants. Worldly-minded 
ministers have often been great persecutors. What are the pleasures, 
and who are the companions of such men ? It is said in the parable, 
" They eat and drink with the drunken." They do not thirst after the 
river of the water of life, but after earthly delights : they do not love 
the society of the servants of God, but that of the people of the world. 

Is it ministers only, who indulge the wicked thought, " My Lord 
delayeth his coming ?" Thousands are emboldened in sin by that idea. 
They do not say with the scoffers mentioned in St. Peter's second 
epistle, that he will never come. They do not ask, " Where is the 
promise of his coming?" but they think " He will not come yet ; we 
may sin on with safety ; we shall have time to repent, and amend." 

The Lord continually defeats such presumptuous calculations. 
Death opens the door without giving the slightest notice ; his step is 
not heard, — his form is not seen till he has seized his victim, and 
borne him beyond the reach of repentance or of pardon. 

It is in this manner the Lord has punished presumptuous sinners in 
past times. He will do it in a more signal manner when he comes 
again. He will select a moment in which the hypocrites shall have no 
suspicion of his approach. He will come on a day when they are not 
looking for him, and at an hour when they are not aware of their dan- 
ger. But on that day his people will be looking for him, and at that 
hour they will be trusting in him ; for they will say when they see 
him, " This is our God ; we have waited for him, and he will save us : 
this is the Lord ; we have waited for him, we will be glad, and rejoice 



SEPT. 27.] THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS. 417 

in his salvation." (Is. xxv. 10.) Were he to come to-day in his chariot 
of clouds, should we be able to say, " We have waited for him ?" 
Would he come to interrupt our pleasures, or to crown our hopes ? 
Would he come to make us weep, and gnash our teeth, or to wipe all 
tears from our faces forever ? 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. XXV. Waiting for the Lord, 



Matt. XXV. 1-13. — The parable of the teh virgins. 

In this parable the open enemies of Christ are not mentioned. 
There are only two classes described — true believers and false pro- 
fessors. 

It seems that the difference between the wise and foolish virgins 
was not discovered till the bridegroom's return was announced. Had 
the wise virgins been aware of the unprepared state of their com- 
panions, they would sooner have recommended them to supply them- 
selves with oil. There are many false professors who are not detected 
by true Christians. What do they gain by the deception ? They gain 
a name to live ; but they lose more than they gain ; for they lose those 
moving exhortations which would be addressed to them, if their real 
state were known, and which might prove their salvation. They are 
suffered to remain undisturbed, because they are undetected. They 
learn to flatter themselves in their own eyes, and to believe that the}'' 
are secure. But when the bridegroom returns, then their sad condition 
will be discovered. 

What, a succession of disappointments will they experience at last ! 
It was a disappointment to the foolish virgins when they found that 
their lamps were gone out. It will be a bitter disappointment to many 
when they find that a form of religion will avail them nothing ; and 
that they have no grace in their hearts. The oil seems to represent 
holy feelings, which the Holy Spirit alone bestows ; love, faith, re- 
pentance, peace, hope, joy. It is possible to maintain a creditable 
reputation for piety without possessing any of the fruits of the Holy 
Spirit , but it is written, " Without holiness no man shall see the 
Lord." 

The first disappointment the foolish virgins met with was finding 
their lamps were gone out. The second was hearing their compan- 
ions refuse to share any of their oil. Our Christian friends willnot be able 
to help us in the day of the Lord ! They will not be able to impart to 
us the grace which is in their own hearts. When the foolish virgins 
returned from buying oil, how great must have been their disappoint- 
ment to find the door shut ! Yet they still entertained hope, and en- 
treated to be admitted. The bridegroom's replv was the last, and the 

53 



418 THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS. [SEPT. 28. 

greatest of all the disappointments they had sustained. Those terrible 
words, " I know you not," cut off every hope, and consigned to eternal 
despair. 

And what does this parable teach ? To watch : that is, to prepare 
for the sudden return of our Lord. He will come with the rapidity of 
lightning, and those whom he finds unprepared, must continue forever 
unfit to abide in his presence. He gives notice to the world of the 
suddenness of his second corning by the suddenness with which he 
often causes the arrows of death to overtake sinners. Some are cut 
off so suddenly that they do not even know that they are dying. They 
fall down in a fit, are stunned by a blow, or dashed to pieces by a fall, 
before they can say, or even think, " Is this death ?" Others have a 
short warning of their latter end; they are filled with dismay; they 
know not what to do ; they send here and there for some minister to 
pray with them, but before he can arrive they expire. Few, when 
they are first taken ill, know that their sickness is unto death ; and 
their last hour often comes upon them with unexpected speed. 

It is the height of folly to remain satisfied with having a form, of 
religion ; for, at any moment, we may hear the cry, " The bridegroom 
cometh." Then the unconverted will suddenly discover that, they are 
not prepared ; but the discovery will be of no use then. How impor- 
tant it is to ascertain now whether we are born again of the Spirit, 
sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ, and meet for the inheritance 
of the saints in light ! 

Evening Scripture portion. Daniel V. Belshazzars feast. 



Matt. XXV. 14-30.— The parable of the talents. 

There is one circumstance that renders this parable very remark- 
able ; it is the last recorded as related by our Lord. The first record- 
ed was the parable of the men who built houses, the one on the rock, 
and the other on the sand. There is a great resemblance between the 
case of the man who built his house on the sand, and the case of the 
servant who hid his talent in the earth. Both of them were men who 
heard their Lord's sayings, but who did them not. Would our Lord 
have selected these instances for his first and last parables, if the char- 
acter described had not been common, and the error fatal ? We ought 
therefore to give very earnest heed to the parable that has just been 
read, and to inquire whether the warning it contains applies to our- 
selves. 

Our Lord had related a parable very much like it a few days before, 
when on his way to Jerusalem. But on that occasion he was sur- 
rounded by Pharisees as well as by his own disciples : on this occa- 



SEPT. 28.] THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS. 419 

sion he had no other audience than those disciples. He always adapted 
his instructions to his hearers. When he spoke to the Pharisees, he 
introduced into the parable a description of open enemies, who said, 
" We will not have this man to reign over us." But when he ad- 
dressed his disciples only, he omitted all mention of those enemies. 

We cannot be at a loss to discover what is meant by the talents 
intrusted to the servants. The Lord himself explained his own mean- 
ing immediately after he had related the parable ; for he then described 
himself as seated on the throne of his glory, and inquiring whether 
those who stood round him had fed his hungry saints, and visited his 
desolate prisoners. The talents represent, opportunities of doing good. 
The affliction sent to one is the opportunity granted to another. 

There is one point that must never be overlooked in considering 
this parable. For what purpose was it related? Was it intended to 
show a sinner how he might obtain pardon? No. There are other 
parables which show that. Those of the prodigal son, of the two 
debtors, and of the good shepherd, all show that it is through God's 
free grace, and Christ's precious blood, that pardon is bestowed. This 
parable is intended to teach, not how a sinner may obtain pardon, but 
how a pardoned sinner may serve God. 

To whom much is forgiven, the same loveth much. The same also 
does much. How easy, how pleasant it is to serve those we love ! 
How we conjecture their wants and anticipate their wishes ! How 
ready we are to run a risk, or to make a sacrifice to please them ! 
How slow we are to say that we cannot do what they desire ! Diffi- 
culties may stand in the way ; but they are generally overcome by a 
loving heart. If true believers loved their Saviour more, how much 
more good would they do in the world ! St. Paul declares, " The 
love of Christ constraineth us." " Constraineth" us to do what ? 
Not to live to ourselves, but unto Him who died for us, and rose 
again. (2 Cor. v. 14, 15.) 

We all want more of this spirit. The hypocrite has none of it. He 
lives to himself alone. But has the true believer enough of it? 0, 
no ; even the servant who had gained five talents will feel he has done 
too little for so gracious a master, when he hears the words, " Well 
done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." 
He will see such a disproportion between his service and his reward, 
that he will be ashamed of his past negligence, and amazed at his 
Lord's munificence. 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Tim. I. The kindness of Onesiphorus. 



420 THE LAST JUDGMENT. [SEPT. 29. 



Matt. XXV. 31 to end. — Christ describes the last judgment . 

If we had been asked what future scenes we desired most to see 
unveiled before our eyes, should we not have replied, " The scenes 
of the last day ? " The splendor of the occasion will be exceedingly 
great ; yet it is not the splendor that will render the day important, 
but the sentences then pronounced. Through the ages of eternity that 
day cannot be forgotten. The lost spirits will date from that day 
their final separation from God, the source of all happiness. The 
glorified saints will date from that day their entrance into the full en- 
joyment of the light of his countenance. Do we dread to hear that 
word " Depart ?" Do we long for that word " Come ?" Let us at- 
tend to the account given in this wonderful passage, of the conduct 
which marks the righteous and the wicked while upon earth. 

Those who first listened to this description of the judgment-day 
were the disciples of Jesus. They all professed to love him. But 
did they all really love him ? There was a hypocrite among the twelve. 
It is written of him, " Not that he cared for the poor." And are there 
not some now who say, " Lord, Lord," but who do not really love 
Jesus ? If they loved him, they would love his poor brethren suffer- 
ing upon earth. They would take more pleasure in relieving them, 
than in pampering their appetites, adorning their persons, amassing 
large fortunes, and giving sumptuous entertainments. Those who 
really love Christ are kind to the hungry, to the stranger, and to the 
prisoner, for his sake. 

There are some who do acts of kindness, but not for his sake. Are 
their actions pleasing to the Lord ? Can he who searches the heart, 
be pleased with acts of charity done from a desire to obtain human 
praise ? Such acts shall obtain no other reward than — human praise . 

Can he be pleased with deeds done from feelings of kindness, but 
without one thought concerning himself? Such motives meet with a 
reward on earth, but none in heaven. 

Can he be pleased with works performed with a view of gaining 
heaven by our own merits ? Assuredly not. For he has declared 
that we are not saved by works of righteousness which we have done, 
but by the mercy of God in Jesus Christ. (Titus hi.) What should 
we think of a man who owed ten thousand guineas, and w r ho, though 
his creditors generously offered to give him his whole debt, refused to 
accept the obligation, promising now and then to present a farthing as 
payment ? Yet this is the manner in which those act who are seeking 
to gain admission into heaven by their good deeds. 

What, then, are the motives which please the Lord ? Motives of 
gratitude and love to him. None but pardoned sinners can love 
Jesus ; and they love him because he first loved them. The very 
words that he will address to them at the last day show that he loved 
them first, for he will say, " Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit 



SEPT. 30.] JUDAS OFFERS TO BETRAY CHRIST. 421 

the kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the world." 
God loved his children even before the world was made ; even then 
he provided for their everlasting happiness. But did he prepare hell 
for the wicked ? It was for devils, not for men, that hell was prepared. 
These are the words of the judge, " Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting 
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." It is their own sin, not 
God's purpose, that plunges men into everlasting wo. Jesus has suf- 
fered the pains of hell, that we may taste the joys of heaven. He has 
not said to us, " You must be mocked and spit upon ; you must be 
scourged, and crowned with thorns ; you must be crucified in order to 
get to heaven." No ; these insults and these pangs he has suffered' 
for us. But he has asked us to show our love to him by relieving his 
poor brethren. It is a small request. Can we refuse it ? When we 
see the destitute stranger, shall we turn away ? When we hear of a 
suffering saint, or of a poor prisoner, shall we forget to visit him ? If 
we do, how ashamed shall we be when we see Christ coming in his 
glory ! 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 John III. Love to the brethren. 



Luke XXII. 1-6. — Judas offers to betray Christ. 

We have lately contemplated our Saviour sitting peacefully on 
Mount Olivet, surrounded by his disciples. What a different scene 
we now behold ! It is an assembly of wicked men in Jerusalem. The 
high priest himself is the chief among them, and his palace is their 
place of meeting. It is probable that they held their consultation in 
the night, because in the day the high priest resided in his own cham- 
ber near the temple. 

The night was a suitable season for the ripening of the designs of 
darkness. The murder of the Son of God was the purposed crime, 
but great difficulties lay in the way of its commission. The priests 
and scribes feared to apprehend Jesus in the day, because they ex- 
pected to meet with opposition from the people ; and they knew not 
where to find him in the night, for then he hid himself near Mount 
Olivet. But as God helps his children to overcome their difficulties, 
so Satan helps his to overcome theirs. 

The entrance of Judas must have astonished the assembly ! Had 
he come to plead for his Master ? Had he come to remonstrate with 
his enemies ? Surely the expression of his countenance must have 
indicated the dark purpose of his heart. He came to make the basest 
proposal that ever passed human lips ; he came to offer to betray the 
best of masters. We may well believe that man could not alone have 
resolved to commit such wickedness ; for though man by his fall has 



422 JUDAS OFFERS TO BETRAY CHRIST. [ SEPT - 30. 

lost all love to his unseen Creator, he is still disposed to love those 
fellow-creatures who show him particular kindness. But that evil 
spirit who once rebelled against the God whose beauty he beheld, and 
whose favor he enjoyed, had filled the heart of Judas. Can Satan, 
then, enter the heart of man ? What an awful truth ! Is there any ca- 
lamity we ought to dread so much as the entrance of this wicked spirit 
into our hearts ? If he come and dwell in us now, there is reason to 
fear lest we should go and dwell with him hereafter. 

And how did the priests receive the base proposal of the false apos- 
tle ? Were they filled with horror ? Did they tremble at the traitor's 
words ? It is written, " They were glad." Hell also was glad. How 
awful it is for men to rejoice with devils, and yet those who are glad 
at wickedness may feel assured that their joy is shared by the spirits 
beneath. 

And what reward did Judas hope to obtain for his treachery ? Thirty 
pieces of silver ; a sum equal to three pounds fifteen shillings of our 
money. It was the price of a slave. It was the sum that the Jewish 
law sentenced those to pay who killed a slave by accident. How 
small are the bribes for which men will commit sin ! When Satan 
attempted to entice the Son of God, he offered him all the kingdoms 
of the world. But he does not think it necessary to offer so great a 
bribe to sinful man. He finds that he can seduce him to commit 
wickedness by insignificant rewards. One morsel of meat was suffi- 
cient to induce Esau to sell his birthright. But does Satan really give 
even the reward he promises ? No ; it is seldom that sinners enjoy 
what they expected. Judas indeed obtained the thirty pieces of silver, 
but did he enjoy them ? 

It will rack the spirits of sinners in hell to calculate their losses and 
their gains. Even in this world the gains of sin are very small : even 
in this world the losses of sin are very great; but in ihe next world 
there is no gain left to the sinner ; the laughter is all past, the sorrow 
alone remains. The shadow of his former pleasures will soon fade 
before his weeping eyes ; the cheat of Satan will stare him in the face ; 
the father of lies will be there to upbraid him with his folly, and the 
sight of heaven shining afar off will add to the tortures oi his remorse. 
But though convinced of his error, the prodigal will not be able to arise 
and return to his God, and say, " I have sinned against heaven, and in 
thy sight." No, the chains of darkness will fix him forever in his dis- 
mal prison, and the great gulf will separate him from all that is holy, 
and glorious, and blessed. 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts V. 1-16. Ananias and Sapphira. 



OCT. 1.] PETER AND JOHN PREPARE THE PASSOVER. 423 



Luke XXII. 7-13. — Peter and John prepare the Passover. 

The day before his death seems to have been by the Saviour passed 
in holy retirement near Mount Olivet. How different were the scenes 
of the next day ! scenes of tumult and uproar, scenes of barbarity and 
blood ! A sweet season of refreshment was enjoyed by the Lord and 
his disciples before those horrors were perpetrated. How often God 
grants such a season to his children before he exposes them to the 
w T intry storm and tempest ! 

The passover was always eaten in Jerusalem. It was unlawful to 
kill the lamb in any other place than in the temple, or to eat it any- 
where but in the holy city. The Jews at this day having no temple, 
cannot partake of the paschal lamb. When they celebrate the pass- 
over, they cause the shoulder bone of a lamb to be placed on the table 
instead of the animal itself. Many thousands nocked to Jerusalem in 
olden times to keep the feast. The citizens were kind to their breth- 
ren on those occasions, opened their doors, and received freely all who 
pleased to come ; so that no man could say to his friend, " I have not 
found a fire to roast the lamb withal, nor a bed to rest in." 

With what holy awe the two apostles must have beheld the man 
carrying a pitcher, of whom their Master had spoken ! Here was a 
fresh display of his omniscience. Though Jesus has not foretold the 
circumstances of our lives, we are persuaded that he knows them all, 
both small and great. If he did not appoint the small incidents of our 
lives, he could not rule the great events, because small incidents give 
rise to great events. Jesus knew the exact moment when the man 
bearing a pitcher would be walking near the entrance of Jerusalem ; 
and he knows what we shall be doing at this moment to-morrow, and 
ten years hence. He knows whom we shall meet to-day, if we go 
out, and who will come to see us, if we stay at home. He not only 
knows these circumstances, but he will, if we love him, so order them 
that they shall work together for our good ; " for all things work to- 
gether for good to them that love God." . (Rom. viii. 28.) 

How blessed are we if we have committed ourselves, and all we 
possess, into his hands ! Then we need feel no anxiety about the 
future, for the Lord will provide. At the very moment we want a 
friend, he will raise one up. There is no request too small for him to 
regard, nor too great for him to grant. The people of God, especially 
his aged servants, can relate wonderful histories of his power and truth. 
They can tell how in their perplexity they were directed, and in their 
extremity relieved. Had their friends been miraculously informed of 
the particulars of their cases, they could not have afforded them more 
suitable or opportune help. At the exact time they needed the supply, 
the exact sum they required has been sent, and often by the hand of 
one who knew nothing of their distresses. But the God, who an- 
swered the prayer of Abraham's servant, who led Rebekah to the well, 



424 CHRIST GIVES THE CUP BEFORE SUPPER. [oCT. 2. 

and inclined her to utter the very words that servant had asked that 
she might say, still listens to his people's prayers, and still conde- 
scends to give them the request of their lips. " taste and see that 
the Lord is good ; blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear 
the Lord, ye his saints, for there is no want to them that fear him." 
(Ps. xxxiv. 8, 9.) 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Gen. XXIV. 1-28. The prayer of Abraham's servant 



Luke XXII. 14-18. — Christ gives the cup before supper. 

We are too apt to forget that each action of our life will at some 
period be performed for the last time. It often appears as if we shall 
continue for ever to tread certain rounds of duties or enjoyments ; but 
this appearance is false. As there was a first time of going to the 
house of God, so there will be a last. Perhaps we can remember the 
first time : but we cannot foresee the last. It is most probable that 
when the last time arrives, we shall not be aware of it. As there was 
a time when our infant lips first pronounced the name of Jesus, so 
there will be a time when our lips will utter it for the last time on 
earth. How many happy souls have departed this life, saying, 
" Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly !" 

Some of us, perhaps, can look back upon the time when we first 
approached the table of the Lord to eat the bread and drink the wine. 
If we came with a formal spirit, — because others came, — because we 
thought it right to come, — because our friends expected us to come, 
there is no sweetness in the remembrance of that time. But if we 
came as contrite sinners to a bleeding Saviour, then we desire never 
to forget the blessed season. There will be a last time for partaking 
of the holy communion ; it may be in the sanctuary ; it may be in the 
dying chamber. Whenever it arrives may it find us in the same loving 
spirit in which our blessed Lord sat down with his twelve apostles to 
partake of his last passover ! 

Though he knew that one of these apostles would soon deny him, 
and that all would forsake him, yet his heart lingered over them with 
inexpressible tenderness. What fervent affection is implied in the 
words, " With desire have I desired to eat this passover with you be- 
fore I suffer /" Though death was to follow, yet this feast of love 
was an object of desire to the Saviour. 

A cup of red wine was usually drunk before the passover was 
eaten. This cup Jesus took, and said to his disciples, " Take this, 
and divide it among yourselves." By desiring them to drink out of 
the same cup, he instructed them to love one another, even as he had 



\ 



OCT. 3.] CHRIST WASHES HIS DISCIPLES' FEET. 425 

loved them. There was another cup which he gave after supper, say- 
ing, " This is my blood." The first cup was given before supper. 

When the Lord partook of this passover, his heart was bowed down 
with sorrow. There is an hour approaching when He will rejoice 
with his people. In the day of his trouble he spoke of that hour, for 
he said, " I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom 
of God shall come." If he desired so earnestly to partake of the 
passover before he suffered, how much more must he desire to eat and 
drink with his people in the kingdom of God ! No last time will ever 
come to that feast, no parting will then be near, no sin will then be 
feared, no tear will then be shed. Are we meet for the inheritance of 
the saints in light ? All who approach the table of the Lord now, will 
not surround it hereafter. 

The heart must be prepared for heavenly joys ; it must be broken 
by a sense of sin ; it must be bound up by a living faith. Christ alone 
can prepare us to sit with him at his table. He is now preparing the 
feast, and preparing the guests : and at the appointed time he will 
come and say, " Eat, friends ; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O be- 
loved." (Solomon's Song v. 1.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Ex. XII. 1-30. The Passover. 



John XIII. 1-17. — Christ washes his disciples' feet. 

The apostle Paul might well say, " I beseech you by the meekness 
and gentleness of Christ." (2 Cor. x. 1.) Jesus knew that the feet he 
washed would flee from him that very night, and leave him alone in 
his troubles ; but offences could not quench his love. 

When afterwards Peter had denied his Lord, it must have been a 
comfort to him, in the midst of his bitter tears, to remember what the 
Lord had said to him as he washed his feet. He had said that Peter 
was already washed from his sins, and that he needed only to have his 
feet washed. This is the state of every true believer. He has been 
washed in the Saviour's blood, but still he needs continually to wash 
his feet'; for as he walks in this world he defiles them by sin. Every 
day he has occasion to say, " Forgive me my trespasses." Whatever 
sins we have committed, we should go instantly to Jesus to be washed. 
We need not fear to go to this condescending, this loving Master. 
" If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus 
Christ the righteous." He who now liveth to make intercession, is the 
same tender Saviour who once took a towel and girded himself, who 
" poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and 
to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded." 

But by this action Jesus intended not only to teach his disciples 

54 






426 CHRIST FORETELLS HIS BETRAYAL. [oCT. 4 

what he had done for them, but also what they ought to do for each 
other. When he was sat down again, he plainly said, " Ye ought to 
wash one another's feet." 

How apt we are to think that it is degrading to perform lowly offices ! 
yet nothing can degrade us but sin. Angels in heaven are not too 
proud to serve the saints on earth. " Are they not all ministering 
spirits, sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation ?" 
(Heb. i.) 

A holy woman, belonging to a wealthy family, often repeated the 
following lines, because they expressed the fondest desires of her 
heart : 

" O that the Lord would count me meet 
To wash his dear disciples' feet, 
To share the grace to angels given, 
And serve the royal heirs of heaven." 

Her life proved that her words were sincere. The destitute orphan 
and the helpless cripple found a home beneath her roof. 

But how different is any condescension that man can show, from the 
condescension the Son of God displayed ! Creatures are only raised 
a very small degree above their fellows ; and even that small distinc- 
tion will exist for a very little while. At the present moment, in the 
sight of God, all men are equal. How unbecoming it is in any of us 
to lift up our hearts above our fellow-creatures ! We may indeed re- 
main in the station in which God has placed us ; but we must re- 
member that he is no respecter of persons ; the slave and the beggar 
are as precious in his sight as the king upon his throne. If we have 
the mind of Christ, we shall esteem it an honor to be permitted to 
minister to the wants of a poor saint ; and we shall often think in our 
hearts, " This destitute creature, who now inhabits a neglected hovel, 
may perhaps shine more brightly than myself in the kingdom of 
glory." 

Evening Scripture portion. Phil. II. The condescension of Christ. 



John XIII. 18-22. — Christ foretells that one of the twelve shall 

betray him. 

The Lord Jesus had just given his disciples a proof of his love by 
washing their feet. Now he gave them a proof of his omniscience. 
He showed them that he knew all things, by foretelling who should 
betray him. 

Had he intended to convince them at that moment of his wisdom, 
he would have revealed the past secrets of their lives, as he once had 
done to the woman of Samaria. He told her so much of her past life, 



OCT. 4.] CHRIST FORETELLS HIS BETRAYAL. 427 

that she said to her townsmen, " Come, see a man which told me alJ 
things that ever I did." But on this occasion he sought rather to 
strengthen the disciples' faith in a trying hour that was approaching. 
He knew that the betrayal of Judas would tend to shake their faith. 
He knew that they might be tempted to think : " If our Master were 
the Son of God, he would have known that Judas sought to betray 
him, and he would have hid himself in some secret retreat." There- 
fore he told them beforehand ; as he said, " Now I tell you before it 
come, that when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he." 

For the same reason he has foretold many events that are now 
coming to pass. He has declared, " Many shall be offended, and shall 
betray one another, and shall hate one another." Whenever hypocrites 
are detected, instead of being staggered by the discovery, we ought to 
be confirmed in the faith, and to think, " Did not Jesus say that there 
should be many who would call him Lord, but who would work in- 
iquity ?" 

Can we conceive what our feelings would be, if we could foresee 
what would befall those around us ? How would our hearts be pained 
by the thought, " This dear brother will languish long under a tor- 
menting disease. This beloved sister will lose the children that are 
now smiling on her knees." But how much more should we be 
grieved, if we could foresee that some who seem to be faithful follow- 
ers of Jesus would finally betray him, and perish forever. What, 
then, must have been the feelings of the compassionate Saviour, when 
he looked around and beheld the face of one who would soon plunge 
into the depth of crime, and sink into the abyss of misery ! " He was 
troubled in spirit, and testified, saying, Verily, verily, I say unto you, 
that one of you shall betray me." 

He still grieves over the sorrows that he foresees. When he looks 
down upon us, he sees the way that we shall take. Among the guests 
at the sacramental table he can distinguish those who will sell their 
birthright, from those who will inherit his kingdom. 

Those who do not love their Master, will not always follow him. 
Judas found it easy to walk with Jesus when an admiring throng 
tracked his steps ; but when circumstances were altered he changed 
his plan, and found it more convenient to betray him. There are sea- 
sons when the way of godliness appears even to the worldly-minded 
a pleasant and a glorious path ; but these seasons do not last. A time 
arrives, sooner or later, when the path becomes steep and rugged ; 
then the unconverted man turns aside into some by-way. He goes 
after the world he had forsaken, and seeks for a share in its smiles. 
At first, perhaps, he does not leave the assemblies of the saints. Like 
Judas, he may be found by turns in the councils of the ungodly, and 
in the society of the believers. Is there any one among us who is 
secretly siding with Christ's enemies, while he appears to be his friend? 
With what compassion Jesus regards such a miserable creature ! He 
foresees the sorrows that his sins will bring upon him. He knows 






428 THE APOSTLES DISPUTE. foCT. 5, 

what remorse will one day tear him ; what despair will take hold of 
him ! 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Tim. III. Hypocrites. 



Like XXII. 21-30. — The apostles dispute concerning which shall be 

greatest. 

We are not surprised that the apostles should be agitated by the 
thought that one of them should betray their beloved Master. But we 
are surprised that they should at the same time dispute who should be 
the greatest. Such a contest would have been sinful at any moment, 
but it was especially unseemly on this occasion. Their Master was 
going to suffer the deepest shame, and the acutest torture ; his spirit 
was troubled, and his soul exceeding sorrowful. All his followers 
should have been engrossed by the desire to console him. Instead of 
disputing who should be greatest, they should have exhorted each 
other to cleave closely to their Lord in the trying hour. 

How easy it is for us to perceive how they ought to have behaved ! 
But how difficult it is for us to act as we ought to do ! A desire to be 
great, and to be greater than others, is deeply rooted in our sinful 
nature. Even after we have turned to God, we are troubled by this 
evil propensity. We often betray it in our conversation, when we are 
not aware of the spirit that actuates us. We delight to dwell upon 
the esteem that others feel for us, to describe the exertions we have 
made, the plans we have suggested, and the influence we have ob- 
tained. Even when we keep silence on these subjects, because we 
think it unbecoming to praise ourselves, we often indulge feelings of 
self-complacency, and are elated when others notice and commend us. 
It would not be thus with us, if we were engrossed with the glory of 
Christ. Then we should desire only to speak of his wondrous works, 
and to talk of his power, and of the glory of his kingdom. If we 
spoke of ourselves, it would be with a view of showing his forbearance 
and faithfulness. 

It. must have grieved the Lord to hear his disciples striving for the 
first place in his kingdom. But he would not utter a severe rebuke 
when partaking with them of his last supper. He had endeavored to 
teach them humility by washing their feet, and he continued by the 
softest persuasions to impress the lesson on their hearts. But he 
knew that circumstances would soon teach them how unworthy they 
were even of the lowest place in his kingdom. That night they would 
all forsake him. When they saw him again after his resurrection, 
they disputed no more who should be greatest ; for each felt that he 
had forfeited all claim even to the lowest place. Thus will Jesus deal 



OCT. 6.] "ONE OF YOU SHALL BETRAY ME." 429 

with us, if we are cherishing pride in our hearts. It is wonderful to 
observe how he humbles his people in their own eyes. Sometimes he 
allows them to stumble for a moment, that they may not fall into ever- 
lasting perdition. He has reserved for them the highest honors — 
places at his table, and thrones in his kingdom, but he must prepare 
them for their exaltation by deep humiliation. He knows when they 
are in danger of becoming proud, and sometimes in his mercy he sends 
an affliction to keep them humble. 

He dealt in this manner with the apostle Paul. These are the 
apostle's own words : " Lest I should be exalted beyond measure 
through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a 
thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should 
be exalted beyond measure." (1 Cor. xii. 7.) / 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Cor. IV. The sinfulness of pride. 



Matt. XXVI. 21-25. — The apostles inquire who shall betray their 

Master. 

What a sorrowful moment it was to the affectionate disciples when 
the Lord said, " One of you shall betray me." He himself was troub- 
led in spirit, and they were exceeding sorrowful. Each anxiously in- 
quired, " Is it I ?" It w r as right in them to ask this question, rather 
than to say, "Is it Peter?" " Is it John?" " Is it James?" Not 
one was so ungenerous as to fix his suspicion upon his fellow. This 
is the spirit we ought to cultivate. Are we not more apt to suspect 
our fellows than to distrust ourselves? No doubt each of the apostles 
felt in his heart that he could not betray his Master, but then each be- 
lieved that the Lord knew his heart better than he knew it himself: 
" God is greater than our hearts, and knoweth all things." (1 John 
iii. 21.) Did Judas believe that God knew all things when he asked, 
" Is it I ?" Surely he must have hoped that he had deceived his 
Master as well as his fellow-disciples. But how must he have felt 
when he heard the answer, " Thou hast said !" Probably it was 
spoken in a low voice, so that none but Judas heard the words. 

But even when detected, he was not turned aside from his base pur- 
pose ; for Satan had entered into him. No threatenings could terrify 
him ; not even the words, " It would be better for that man if he had 
never been born." More terrible words cannot be imagined. They 
prove that the lost spirits can never be released from hell, for if at any 
period (however remote) they were to enter heaven, it would be good 
for them in the end that they had been born. Judas must have disbe- 
lieved this truth. Unbelief prepares the heart for committing the most 
appalling crimes. Satan finds no easier method of leading men captive 



430 CHRIST GIVES THE SOP TO JUDAS. [oCT. 7 

than by filling their minds with doubts concerning God's word. He 
began his intercourse with our race by saying, " Thou shalt not surely 
die." 

But if Judas could not be awed by fear, could he be melted by love ? 
No, he could behold his Lord seated at his last supper, and hear all 
his moving words, and still brood over his dark design. He could 
hear him utter this touching sentence, " With desire I have desired to 
eat this passover with you before I suffer ;" — he could see him, girded 
with a towel, stooping to wash his disciples' feet ; — he could suffer 
him to wash his own feet, — and yet still determine to betray him into 
the hands of his enemies. Truly may God say of the human heart, 
that it is desperately wicked. The old serpent has made it his habita- 
tion, and he exerts his subtlety in keeping it in his possession. But 
the grace of God can change the unfeeling, deceitful heart of man. It 
was grace that made the other disciples so different from Judas. Did 
not the Lord declare this, when he said, " I speak not of you all ; I 
know whom I have chosen?" (John xiii. 18.) 

When we consider a wicked character, when we follow its windings, 
and try to fathom its depths, let us remember that we are studying our 
own disease. If we were attacked with any dreadful malady for which 
no cure was known, what should we feel in viewing the body of one 
who had died of that malady ? We should think, " My symptoms will 
increase, until I am reduced to the same miserable state." Sin is a 
malady that naturally grows worse and worse, and ends in eternal de- 
struction. None can stop its course, but Jesus alone. Had it not 
been for him, it might have been said of each of us, " It would be 
good for this man if he had never been born ; it would be good for this 
woman, for this child." May God of his infinite mercy grant, that the 
reverse may be said of each of us ! Whatever afflictions we may pass 
through, if we keep faithful to Jesus we shall see in the end that it 
was good for us that we were born. The blessed Saviour died, that 
we might have cause to rejoice forever in having been called into 
being. 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Jer. XVII. The depravity of the human heart. 



John XIII. 23-30. — Christ gives the sop to Judas. 

How many incidents recorded by John alone are so interesting that 
we could not bear the idea of being ignorant of them ! It is a touch- 
ing circumstance that one of the disciples leaned his head upon the 
bosom of Jesus at the last supper. That disciple's name is not men- 
tioned in this place ; but we know, from other passages, that it was 



OCT. 7.] CHRIST GIVES THE SOP TO JUDAS. 431 

John. It was the custom in the East to recline upon couches at meal- 
times. This custom was not always observed at common meals, but 
it was considered indispensable at the passover. It is true, the first 
passover was eaten standing, but in later times the Jews preferred the 
posture of lying, because they thought it was a better emblem of their 
freedom from toil and slavery. 

Could we have conjectured (had we not heard the fact) that a sinful 
man should be permitted to lean his head upon the bosom of our Lord 7 
Such condescension became him who took little children in his arms, 
and who suffered a weeping woman to kiss his feet. Ought we to be 
afraid of coming to such a Saviour ? Can we believe he would roughly 
reject us ? Or rather can we conceive how graciously he would re- 
ceive us, how faithfully he would cleave to us ? There is no friend 
who would so tenderly support our aching heads when oppressed by 
care and sorrow, or when damp with the dews of death. 

We naturally suppose that all the apostles must have considered it 
a high privilege to sit next the Lord. It seems probable that Judas sat 
on one side of him, as it was to him he gave the sop when he had 
dipped it. Peter seems to have occupied a more distant place, as he 
beckoned, instead of whispering to John, when he desired him to ask 
a question. 

It was not sufficient for Peter to know that it was not he who should 
betray the Lord ; he wanted to discover who it was. When John 
whispered, "Who is it?" the Lord did not check him for curiosity, 
but gave him a sign by which he discovered the traitor. It is lawful 
for Christians to desire to detect hypocrites. St. Paul exhorts them 
to look " diligently lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble 
them, and thereby many be defiled." (Heb. xii. 15.) 

The token by which the traitor was distinguished was an act of 
friendship — dipping his morsel in the same dish with the Lord. On 
the passover-table a dish was placed composed of the juice of figs and 
other fruits, mixed with vinegar ; and into this mixture all the guests 
dipped their morsels of the unleavened cake before returning thanks. 
For the last time the Lord dipped his morsel, wrapped in bitter herbs, 
in such a dish : for the last time Judas did so also. Both the traitor 
and his Master were eating their last supper on earth. Often had they 
supped together ; but never to all eternity would they sit again at the 
sam. j - table, or share the same bread. The other apostles would 
again eat and drink with their Lord in another manner and in another 
state ; but Judas would hunger forever amidst the famished spirits in 
hell. 

How eager the traitor must have felt to escape from the presence 
of his injured Master ! Jesus himself furnished him with an excuse, 
by saying, " That thou doest, do quickly." The tone was so gentle 
in which those words were uttered, that none conjectured they referred 
to a deed of murder. Judas obeyed, and did his awful work quickly : 
tor Satan hurried him on to perpetrate the crime. The wicked spirit 



432 CHRIST GIVES A NEW COMMANDMENT. [OCT. 8. 

who suggested the scheme sustained him while he executed it : " After 
the sop Satan entered into him." Man's courage would often fail be- 
fore he had performed his dark designs, if it were not for Satan's help. 
He strengthens the thief to encounter the darkness, and he nerves the 
arm of the murderer to raise the bloody knife ; but when they have 
done his will, then he encourages them no more ; then he abandons 
them to remorse and despair. 

Evening Scripture portion. Job XXIV. Deeds of darkness. 



John XIII. 31-35. — Christ gives a new commandment. 

When the traitor had left the room, the full tide of the Saviour's 
love began to flow out upon his disciples. Many sorrowful words had 
been uttered at this last supper ; but in the midst of grief gleams of 
joy burst forth. There was holy triumph, nay, even rapture, in the 
words, " Now is the Son of man glorified ; and God is glorified in 
him." Why did the Lord rejoice at the speedy approach of his bitter 
sufferings ? Because in those sufferings his own glory and his Fa- 
ther's glory were manifested. 

Have we seen the glory of the cross ? Does it appear to us a glorious 
way of reconciling guilty rebels to their insulted sovereign ? Does it 
not show how God hates sin, yet loves the sinner ? He hates sin so 
much that he would not pardon without an atonement ; he loves sinners 
so much that he consented to give up his only Son to be that atone- 
ment. St. Paul did not behold the Saviour expiring on his cross ; but 
like us, he heard the touching history : and what was its effect upon 
his heart ? The cross put out all other glory. He no longer saw any 
glory in exalted titles and shining thrones, in human learning, or elo- 
quence, or even in a reputation for righteousness : all these appeared 
to him as dross. The cross alone seemed glorious, and he testified, 
saying, "God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the 
world." (Gal. vi. 14.) 

But in the hour when Jesus rejoiced, he looked not only at the 
glory connected with his sufferings, but also at the glory of his exal- 
tation. " If God shall be glorified in him, God shall also glorify in 
himself, and shall straightway glorify him." Very soon God would 
raise him from the dead, and exalt him to his own right hand. He 
longed for that glorious hour; he showed his anxiety, when he said to 
Judas, " That thou doest, do quickly." If Paul in later days had a 
desire to depart and to be with Christ, how much more must God's 
own Son have desired to depart to be with his Father ! He remem- 
bered the glory he had with the Father before the world was ; this 



OCT. 9.] CHRIST FORETELLS PETER'S DENIAL. 433 

glory he knew he should soon possess again at his Father's right hand. 
A few weeks afterwards the dying Stephen looked up, and saw him 
standing there. A few months afterwards the astonished Paul beheld 
his brightness above the brightness of the sun. A few years after- 
wards, and the enraptured John heard him say, " I am he that liveth 
and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore." Well might the 
prospect of such glory cheer the Saviour's heart, as he sat at his last 
supper. 

But did he forget his sorrowing disciples ? no, he turned to them 
with tender love, saying, " Little children, a little while am I with 
you." While he was with them, they had basked in his love ; when 
he was gone how desolate would they feel ! But if they should love 
each other as he loved them, then they would not be desolate. There- 
fore he said unto them, " Love one another, as I have loved you." 
Jesus desires that his people should be happy. This is one reason 
why he charges them to love each other. But he has another reason. 
It is his own glory. " By this shall all men know that ye are my dis- 
ciples, if ye have love one to another." Love is the badge of Christ's 
disciples. Is it then so rare for men to love each other, that true be- 
lievers can be known by this mark ? Yes, it is even so. There is 
much that looks like love to be found in the world. There is natural 
affection, — there is particular friendship, — there is patriotism, — there 
is party-spirit, — but there is no love, such as Christ bare towards his 
disciples. There is no love of this kind to be found on earth but in 
the heart of a Christian. No human creature, indeed, can love as Jesus 
does : but his love, though very inferior in degree, may be the same 
in kind. Paul, the prisoner of the Lord, was filled with this love when 
he said, " Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they 
also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal 
glory." (2 Tim. ii. 10.) Such love has led missionaries to leave com- 
fortable homes to dwell among snows that never melt, or deserts that 
are always parched, to brave the hungry lion's roar, and to encounter 
the savage warrior's shriek. Such love glows in the heart of many 
who stand in less conspicuous places. They may be found in crowded 
alleys instructing ragged children, or in miserable hovels, comforting 
dying saints. " May the Lord make us to increase in love toward one 
another, and toward all men." (1 Thess. iii. 12.) 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Cor. XIII. Charity or love. 



John XIII. 36 to end. — Christ foretells Peter's denial. 

It must have grieved all the disciples to hear their Lord say, 
"Whither I go, ye cannot come." But Peter, as usual, was theirs* 

55 



434 CHRIST FORETELLS PETER'S DENIAL. [oCT. 9. 

to express his sorrow. This he did by asking the question, " Whither 
goest thou ?" These words were evidently uttered with deep anxiety. 
Jesus repeated the assurance he had before made, " Whither I go, 
thou canst not follow me now ;" but he added a most comforting de- 
claration, " Thou shalt follow me afterwards." These words must 
have proved a healing balm to Peter's troubled heart, when a few 
hours afterwards he was weeping bitterly for his base denial of his 
Lord. Jesus well knew how much he would require cordials for his 
faith in that agonizing moment ; and he gave him several such cordials, 
both in the upper room and in the garden of Gethsemane. Had 
Peter's faith failed after his sin, he would have been driven to despair 
like Judas, and he would have perished like him. But Jesus sus- 
tained his faith by his word and Spirit, and kept him " by his power 
unto salvation." (1 Peter i.) 

Doubtless there are many who wish that they could obtain such a 
promise as Peter received, " Thou shalt follow me afterwards." But 
though it is the privilege of only a few of the saints to hear such an 
assurance from the lips of their Master, it is the privilege of all to have 
the inward witness of the Spirit, for it is written, " The Spirit beareth 
witness with our spirits that we are the children of God." Let all be- 
lievers listen to his gentle voice in their souls. It is a voice not to be 
heard by the outward ear, but only by the inward ear of the soul or 
spirit, and it says, " Thou art mine." When the children of God hear 
that spiritual voice, they reply, " Father ;" as it is written in the Ro- 
mans, " We have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but 
the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father." No slave 
among the Jews was allowed to use the word " Abba," in speaking to 
his Master : but believers are not slaves, but children. Only let them 
beware of grieving by their sins that holy Spirit, who delights in filling 
their hearts with peace, and joy, and love. 

Peter knew not when he should' follow his Lord. He was impa- 
tient to go immediately, and inquired, " Why cannot I follow thee 
now V Jesus knows how long it will be before each of us will follow 
him to glory, (if we shall follow him,) and he knows why one must fol- 
low him soon, and another a great while hence. He has appointed for 
each of us that length of pilgrimage that is best for us, and best for 
others. We are sometimes disposed to wish to alter his arrangements. 
When tried by lingering sickness, we are apt to cry " how long ?" and 
when surrounded by those who look up to us for help and comfort, to 
cry, " spare me before I go hence." But the Lord will judge for 
us, and call us to himself at the right moment. Moses and Elijah, and 
Jonah, and Job, all desired, in times of great trouble, to die ; but the 
Lord prolonged their lives. Peter, in the fervor of his affection, de- 
sired the same ; but his request also was denied. Had he, at that 
time, been called to lay down his life, he would have shrunk from the 
trial ; — for far from having courage to shed his blood, he had not 
enough to bear a scornful look. The Lord would not bring upon him 



OCT. 10.] CHRIST PRAYS FOR PETER. 435 

a temptation greater than he was able to bear, but only such a tempta- 
tion as showed him what was in his heart, and then he made a way of 
escape, that he might be able to bear it. 

At length Peter obtained a martyr's courage, and now he wears a 
martyr's crown. The time came when he fulfilled his own declara- 
tion, " I will lay down my life for thy sake ;" and he was stretched on 
a cross like his beloved Master. 

Jesus now hears his people's vows of fidelity. He will try them 
all and prove their sincerity. In what way he will try us, at what 
time, we cannot tell. When the trials come, may we be found faithful. 
Then we shall know the truth of the promise, " Blessed is the man 
who endureth temptation, for when (as often) he is tried he shall re- 
ceive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised t'o them that love 
him." (James i. 12.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts IV. The courage of Peter and John. 



Luke XXII. 31-35. — Christ tells Peter he has prayed for him. 

What a view this passage gives us of the malice of Satan. That 
wicked spirit desired to have all the apostles, for Jesus said, " Satan 
hath desired to have you" not Peter only, but the others also. No 
wonder that he desired to have those men who were to spread the 
Saviour's name throughout the world. He succeeded in obtaining 
one of them as his prey, even Judas ; but his place was afterwards 
filled up by another apostle.* 

Can we doubt that Satan still desires to tempt the servants of 
Christ ? If we are his servants, he longs to destroy us. He goes 
about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter v. 8.) 
These words are the words of one who had himself been rescued from 
the jaws of the lion. It was Christ who delivered him. He knows 
all the designs of the enemy. When he sees any of his sheep in dan- 
ger, he does not flee, but he stays to deliver them. He watched with 
tender care over all the apostles during their season of temptation, but 
especially over Peter, who seems to have been the most exposed to 
the enemy. He had already prayed for him ; now he warns him ; 
soon he takes him to the garden with him, and there bids him pray for 
himself; and even when standing before his judges, does not forget 
him, but turns and looks at him. 

Such is the care Jesus still takes of his people. Were he less 
watchful, no soul would ever reach the heavenly fold. If we do not 
fall into some fatal sin, it is because his eye is always upon us. No 

* Matthias, Acts I. 



436 CHRIST PREPARES THE APOSTLES [oCT. 11. 

little child is so dependent upon the watchfulness of its nurse, as we 
are upon that of Jesus. 

Satan desired to sift the apostles as corn is sifted in a sieve, when it 
is thrown up in the air, and when the chaff is blown away. He hoped 
that Judas was not the only hypocrite among them ; for Satan cannot 
search the heart. He suspected Job of being a hypocrite, but he was 
mistaken. He suspected Peter, but in this also he was mistaken. It 
seems Satan is allowed to try the saints, but these trials do them good, 
and make them brighter Christians afterwards. Peter loved the Lord 
before he denied him ; but he loved him far better afterwards. " That 
kind upbraiding glance" could never be effaced from his memory ; that 
affectionate message, (" Tell his disciples and Peter;") that early 
meeting with him alone, (for he was seen of Peter or Cephas before he 
was seen of the twelve,) (1 Cor. xv. 5,) were tokens of forgiving grace 
beyond all human thought. 

How it binds the hearts of believers to their Lord, to remember the 
various instances in which their backslidings have been healed ! Is 
there any one here who, like Peter, has given himself to the Lord, and 
who yet, like Peter, has been unfaithful ? Do you not feel your heart 
glow with love when you think of the Lord's free forgiveness of your 
ungrateful wanderings ? What does Jesus expect of his restored 
backsliders ? He expects that they should strengthen their brethren. 
He said to Peter, " When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren." 
By the term " converted," he meant "turned back again" into the way 
of righteousness. David declared, after his grievous fall, " I will teach 
transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee." It 
encourages a wanderer to return to hear another wanderer say, " The 
Lord has forgiven me" All the apostles must have felt afraid to meet 
their Lord again, after having forsaken him ; but when they heard 
Peter say, " I did worse than you, I denied him ; yet he has forgiven 
me ; I know it by the look he has cast upon me," would they not all 
be strengthened by such words ? We ought not to be ashamed to own 
our faults to our brethren ; but we ought rather to take delight in 
magnifying the riches of Christ's forgiving love. If we have obtained 
mercy, why should not others also ? What Jesus has done for us is a 
pattern of what he will do for all, who, like us, shall believe in him to 
life everlasting. (1 Tim. i. 16.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Job II. Satan tempts Job the second time. 



Luke XXII. 35-38. — Christ prepares the apostles for approaching 

danger. 

The Lord deals with his people in various manners. Sometimes 
he causes all things to go smoothly, — at other times he permits difn- 



OCT. 11.] FOR APPROACHING DANGER. 437 

culties to arise. When Jacob left his father's roof, he was cheered on 
his way by a vision of angels, and he arrived safely at his uncle's 
abode ; but when Joseph left his home, he was assaulted by his breth- 
ren and sold as a slave into Egypt. The Lord knows when to appoint 
trials, and when to bestow prosperity. 

Solomon knew this when he said, " To every thing there is a season, 
and a time to every purpose under heaven" — that is, to every purpose 
of God. He then enumerates various times, " a time to kill and a 
time to heal, a time to weep and a time to laugh." (Eccl. iii.) 
There were such various times in the lives of the apostles. When 
their Master first sent them out to preach, he desired them to make no 
provision for the way. He said, " Provide neither gold, nor silver, 
nor brass in your purses, nor scrip (or bag) for your journey." (Matt. 
x. 9, 10.) They obeyed this command, and at the last supper they 
testified that they had wanted nothing during their journey. The dis- 
ciples of Jesus can always testify that their Lord has kept his promi- 
ses ; — not one of them has ever failed, or ever will. 

On this occasion the Saviour gave different directions to the apos- 
tles from those he had formerly given. He desired them to take, not 
only scrips and purses, but even swords. Why did he give this com- 
mand ? To prepare them for the great troubles that were coming 
upon them. He knew that now few would be willing to give them 
food, and that many would desire to take away their lives ; because 
their Master was soon to be crucified as a criminal. Who would 
favor the followers of a crucified Master ? He reminded them of these 
words of Isaiah liii., " He was numbered with the transgressors." One 
of the trials the Saviour endured was disgrace. He was put to 
death as a wicked man, with wicked men, and in the manner in which 
wicked men were put to death. The disciples of such a master ought 
to expect disgrace. They should not be surprised when they are in- 
sulted, reviled, and falsely accused. 

But ought they to defend themselves with the sword ? We know 
they ought not. When Peter took one of these two swords and cut 
off the ear of the high priest's servant, his Lord rebuked him, and said, 
" All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword." If Jesus 
had intended that his servants should fight, he would not have said that 
two swords were enough. The only sword that they should use is the 
sword that their Master wielded when attacked by the prince of dark- 
ness in the wilderness ; — the sword of the Spirit, which is the word 
of God. (Eph. vi. 17.) 

W T hen temptations come upon us, let us use that sword. Satan 
cannot resist it. Had Peter used it in that terrible night when his 
Lord was condemned, he would not have denied him. We know not 
what great temptations may soon assail us. God often makes the first 
part of a believer's course very smooth, because he knows his weak- 
ness, and will not try him above liis strength. But an evil day will 
come. How shall we stand in that day ? Not by our own strength. 



438 CHRIST ORDAINS HIS HOLY SUPPER. [oCT. 12 

We must take unto us now the whole armor of God, the breast-plate 
of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the 
sword of the Spirit. When clothed in this armor, we must watch and 
pray, and then we shall be able to resist all the wiles of the devil. 
(Eph. vi. 11.) 

Evening Scripture portion. 
2 Cor. VI. The sufferings and conduct of faithful ministers. 



Luke XXII. 19, 20. — Christ ordains his holy supper. 

Of all the touching words that Jesus uttered at the last supper, the 
most touching were these : " This is my body ; this is my blood." 
The disciples had been unwilling to believe that he would die ; but 
could they doubt it any longer when they heard these words, and 
looked upon the broken bread and the poured out wine ? He would not 
only die, but he would die a cruel death ; his body would be broken 
like the bread ; his blood would be poured out like the wine. 

Was Judas present at this scene ? It is not certain whether he was 
there or not. He had partaken of one cup — of the cup before supper 
— but we know not whether he partook of the cup after supper. 

No doubt it was with bitter grief that the loving disciples ate that 
broken bread, and drank that cup of wine. With what different feel- 
ings they partook of the ordinance the next time ! When, after their 
Lord's resurrection, they met together to break bread, how thankful 
they felt for his dying love ! We know not when they first met for 
this purpose. It must have been an interesting communion ! Each 
must have thought, " What would have become of me if that spotless 
body had not been lacerated and bruised upon the cross — if that pre- 
cious blood had not flowed from the pierced hands, and feet, and side !" 
This is the feeling of every believer when he approaches the table of 
his Lord. 

Ever since man sinned, he has been spared only for the sake of 
Jesus. When Abel brought a spotless lamb and offered it on the 
altar, he knew that he deserved to die instead of that lamb. The blood 
of that lamb was a faint shadow of the blood of the Lamb of God. 

What did Jesus mean when he said, " This cup is the new testa- 
ment in my blood which is shed for you?" By the word "testament," 
he meant covenant or promise. God made a covenant with Israel in 
the wilderness. The blood of bulls and goats was shed to confirm the 
first covenant. A.s it is written, "Moses took the blood and sprinkled 
it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant." (Ex. 
xxiv. 8.) From everlasting God made a covenant with his beloved 
Son concerning the salvation of man ; but it was not fully revealed til] 



OCT. 13.] CHRIST PROMISES TO RECEIVE HIS DISCIPLES. 439 

after Christ had been crucified. His blood was shed to confirm this 
new covenant. It can never be shed again. But lest we should for- 
get that it was once shed, we are commanded to drink wine at his 
table. And can we forget such love as Christ has shown? Yes, 
when he said, " Do this in remembrance of me," he knew well that 
we were disposed to remember every thing sooner than his love. 
There are only a few who even desire to remember it. Why do so 
many turn away from the Lord's table ? Is it not because they do not 
love their crucified Saviour ? They are not ashamed or afraid to say 
by their actions, " We do not love him." They know he is patient — 
they know he is generous — they know he is forgiving — they hope he 
will bear their insults, and that, when he spreads, his table in his 
Father's kingdom, he will invite them to sit down with him there. 
But what if he should come in a day when they think not, and in an 
hour when they are not looking for him ; and what if he should say, 
" You shall not taste of my supper ; you despised the supper to which 
I invited you on earth, and you shall not be admitted to my supper in 
heaven !" But if he should forgive their ungrateful conduct, and wel- 
come them to his heavenly table, will they not wish they had honored 
his sacramental board ? 

If grief could enter heaven, it would be felt at the remembrance, 
not of past trials, but of past ingratitude shown to the Lamb of God. 
When we feel that all our bliss was purchased by the wounded 
Saviour, shall not we desire that we had always loved, and honored, 
and adored him ? 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Cor. XI. The Lord's Supper. 



John XIV. 1-3. — Christ promises his disciples to receive them into 
his Father's house. 

As we read these words, let us remember in what interesting cir- 
cumstances they were uttered. Jesus was conversing with his eleven 
apostles, in an upper room, only a few hours before his crucifixion. 

There was a moment in which He himself was troubled in spirit, 
but now it seems that his disciples were more troubled than himself, 
for he undertakes to comfort them. He had made one declaration 
that had grieved them exceedingly ; He had said, "Whither I go, ye 
cannot come." Peter had expressed his sorrow, and had obtained 
this sweet assurance, " Thou shalt follow me afterwards." The other 
apostles must have desired to hear words like these addressed to them- 
selves. Their desire was fully satisfied when Jesus said, " In my 
Father's house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place foi you." 
There was a mansion, not for Peter only, but also for John and James, 



440 THOMAS MAKES AN INQUIRY. [OCT. 14. 

and all the apostles. And are these mansions for them alone ? Does 
not each of us inquire, " Is there a mansion for me also ?" Yes, there 
is not only a mansion, but a crown for every one who loves the Lord. 
Hear what the apostle Paul says, " Henceforth there is laid up for me 
a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall 
give me in that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love 
his appearing." (2 Tim. iv. 8.) Here is hope, here is assurance, for 
every one who can sincerely say, " Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly." 

Well might the disciples be troubled at the thought of losing such a 
friend as their Lord had been to them. The kindest friend we have 
ever known has sometimes treated us coldly, impatiently, or harshly ; 
but Jesus had always been affectionate, sympathizing, and tender. 
The best friend we have ever had was subject to error and infirmity, 
but Jesus possessed unspotted holiness, unerring wisdom, and unblem- 
ished loveliness. In losing his presence the disciples felt that they 
should lose the chief joy of their existence. He knew the desire of 
their hearts, therefore he said, "That where Jam, there ye may be 
also." They have now tasted the fulfilment of this promise ! The 
apostles are where Jesus is. Absent from the body they are present 
with the Lord. *** 

Some who were once with us, are now with him. Would we wish 
to call them back? Could we make them as happy as Jesus is now 
making them ? While we are enduring trials, exposed to temptations, 
and subject to sin, they rest in the mansions that he prepared for them 
in his Father's house. They do not desire to return to us, but they 
long for us to come where they are. There are mansions enough for 
a multitude which no man can number. Every hour some happy 
spirit iS ascending to inhabit the place the Saviour has prepared for 
him. The dying Stephen looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw 
the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God ; and 
as they stoned him he called upon God, saying, " Lord Jesus, receive 
my spirit." (Acts vii. 55, 60.) 
I 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts VII. 37 to end. The death of Stephen. 



John XIV. 4-7. — Thomas makes an inquiry. 

How condescending it was in the Lord Jesus to permit his disciples 
to ask him questions ! Yet he discouraged presumptuous inquiries. 
On this account the disciples, when they saw him conversing with the 
Samaritan woman, were once afraid to say, " What doest thou ? or, 
why talkest thou with her ?" But he encouraged them to ask, in a 
humble spirit, explanations of his doctrines. 

At an early part of the conversation at the last supper, Peter inter- 



OCT. 14.] THOMAS MAKES AN INQUIRY. 441 

rupted his Lord by saying, "Whither goest thou?" The answer 
seems to have satisfied him, for he said soon afterwards, " I will lay 
down my life for thy sake." . By this reply, Peter showed that he be- 
lieved his Master was going to die. But Thomas was not so soon 
satisfied as Peter. He was a man hard to be convinced, though not 
slow to act when convinced. It was he who on a former occasion had 
said, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." (John xi. 16.) 
And it was he who, a long while afterwards, carried the gospel to the 
end of the world, even to the coasts of India. Even now, near Madras, 
his name is remembered, and the Mount of St. Thomas may still be 
seen there. It was this Thomas, this unbelieving Thomas, who now 
said, " Lord, we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know 
the toay ?" His patient teacher repeated the instructions he had so 
often given, " I am the way, the truth, and the life." But did he 
reveal whither he was going? Yes, for he added, "No man cometh 
unto the Father, but by me." He was going to the Father : he was 
going to return to that bosom whence he came out : he had been de- 
spised and rejected of men ; but he was going to Him who had said, 
" This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." And was he 
going alone ? No : had he not said, " I go to prepare a. place for you . ? " 
But he was going to do still more, — to prepare a way as well as a 
place. Of what avail would it have been to us, if a place had been 
prepared, but if no ivay to that place had been opened ? To see, afar 
off, those glorious mansions, and to feel there was no way by which 
we could attain them, would be wretchedness indeed. Yet there is no 
way, except through Jesus. As well might one of us hope to reach 
the stars, by any contrivance of our own, as to reach heaven through 
our own goodness, or prayers, or tears, or sufferings. When man had 
sinned, it was impossible that the just God could receive him as an 
inmate of his palace. What would be thought of a sovereign who 
should appoint some notorious murderers to be his ministers of state ? 
How was it, then, possible that the holy God should continue to show 
favor to guilty rebels ? But the Son of God took upon him our load 
of guilt, and died in our stead. Thus he became the way to his 
Father. Sinners may approach God through him. The great gulf 
that sin had made between heaven and earth, is now closed. The Son 
of God is the ladder by which sinners climb up into heaven. It is a 
useless thing to attempt to come to God in any other way than by 
Jesus. The men who began the tower of Babel thought they could 
reach the heavens, but they were mistaken. There are some who fall 
into a more fatal mistake. They fondly imagine that they shall be 
able to pile up good works enough to enable them to mount to God's 
throne ; but they shall never succeed : while the humble believer, 
trusting in his Saviour, shall be borne by his Almighty arm into the 
presence of the King of kings. 

Evening Scripture portion. Rom. X. Salvation by Christ alone. 
56 



442 PHILIP MAKES A REQUEST. [OCT. 15 



John XIV. 8-12. — Philip makes a request. 

Philip expressed the feeling of a pious heart when he said, " Lord, 
show us the Father, and it sufnceth us." There was something in thb 
request that must have pleased the Son of God. Love to his Father 
always pleased him. It grieved him to see the creatures of his 
Father's hand so indifferent to his name. He had beheld another scene 
in heaven, where every angel and every saint glows with love to his 
glorious Creator. But worldly men do not care for the Being who 
made them. Far from wishing to see Him, as Philip did, they wish to 
hide themselves from him. Instead of saying, " Show us the Father," 
they say in their hearts, " Give us corn and wine ; give us favor with 
men ; give us success in our schemes, and prosperity in our families, 
and — it sufficeth us." 

But the children of God desire to see their Father's face. Philip 
was a child of God, and he desired to see his glorious countenance ; 
therefore he said, " Show us the Father." Yet he ought not to have 
made this request. He ought to have known that Jesus was the bright- 
ness of his Father's glory. How gently the Lord reproached him for 
his unbelief when he said, " Have I been so long time with you, 
Philip, and yet hast thou not known me ?" Three years was a long 
time to have familiar intercourse with the Son of God. Patriarchs and 
prophets thought themselves highly favored, when they enjoyed short 
and occasional interviews with their glorious Redeemer. They were 
more ready to acknowledge him as God than Philip was. When Jacob 
had wrestled with the angel, he said, " I have seen the face of God, 
and my life is preserved." But the apostles found it hard to believe 
how great their Master was ! They had seen him hungry and thirsty, 
weary and weeping. They had even heard him talk of dying. Was 
it not hard to believe, that the face so marred with sorrow was the ex- 
press image of the Father's ? Yet they ought to have believed this, 
because of his words and his works. 

He spake as never man spake ; he did works that man never per- 
formed. His divine glory shone through the veil of mortal flesh. No 
light around his person distinguished him from other men ; but the 
apostle John declares, " We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only- 
begotten of the Father." (John i. 14.) Once, indeed, his face did 
shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light ; but only 
once; and then only three of the apostles beheld that glorious sight. 
But his countenance always shone with the light of holiness, and his 
garments were always white with spotless purity. 

When did Jesus fulfil this wonderful promise, " He that believeth 
on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than 
these shall he do ?" At the day of Pentecost, when the apostles, by 
the power of the Spirit, turned three thousand souls to God. When 
Jesus preached, only a few repented. Chorazin and Bethsaida, Caper- 



OCT. 16.] CHRIST PROMISES TO ANSWER PRAYERS. 443 

naum and Jerusalem, repented not ; but when the apostles preached, 
three thousand, by one sermon, were pricked in their hearts. (Acts ii. 
37-41.) What was the reason of this difference? Jesus explained 
the reason in these few words, "Because I go unto the Father." 
Since he has gone unto the Father, to sit at his right hand, multitudes 
have received the gifts of repentance, and of the forgiveness of sins, 
because he is gone there for that very purpose ; as it is written, "Him 
hath God exalted with his right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, for 
to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." (Acts v. 31.) 
Have we received these precious gifts ? Has the great ivork been 
done in our souls, — the work of conversion ? If it has, then we shall 
be anxious to do great works ourselves, by saving tfre souls of our 
fellow-sinners, and snatching them as brands from the burning. 

Evening Scripture portion. Psalm XLV. The glory of the Son of God. 



John XIV. 13-20. — Christ promises to answer his disciples' 

prayers. 

When friends are about to part, they agree together how they shall 
serve and please each other while separated. The Son of God was 
the most tender and faithful of friends. What was it He engaged to 
do for his disciples when about to leave them? He said, " If ye shall 
ask any thing in my name, I will do it." But what could they do for 
him? He said, " If ye love me, keep my commandments." Jesus 
has not failed to fulfil his part. As soon as he was ascended up on 
high, his disciples asked in his name for a glorious gift, and he be- 
stowed it. They asked for what he had promised ; for, as Luther 
says, prayer is the reminding God of his promises. What had he 
promised ? Another comforter, that is, another teacher. " I will pray 
the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may abide 
with you forever." The apostles remembered this promise ; and when 
they had parted from their Lord, " they all continued with one accord 
in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of 
Jesus, and with his brethren." (Acts i. 14.) Then it was that the 
Holy Ghost came down from heaven with a sound like a rushing 
mighty wind, and in appearance like cloven and flaming tongues 
Peter then preached to the wondering multitude, and said, " Being by 
the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the 
promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see 
and hear." (Acts ii. 33.) 

Thus Jesus fulfilled his own promise, " If ye shall ask any thing in 
my name, I will do it." But has he withdrawn that precious promise ? 
May we not still expect its fulfilment ? Assuredly we may. How 



444 JUDE ASKS AN EXPLANATION. [oCT. 17, 

many believers can witness that Jesus has heard their prayers ! Some- 
times we are certain that the letter we sent to a friend has been re- 
ceived ; and why ? Because we receive an answer to it. Have we 
never received answers to our prayers sufficient to convince us that 
they have been heard ? Sometimes Jesus does not grant the very 
thing his people ask for ; because he has promised only to give them 
good things, and sometimes, in their ignorance, they ask for things not 
good for them. The apostle Paul thought it would be good for him to 
be relieved from the thorn in his flesh : but his Saviour knew it would 
be better for him to bear it, lest the abundant revelations he had re- 
ceived should exalt him above measure. Therefore when he besought 
the Lord thrice to take it away, he received this answer : " My grace 
is sufficient for thee." And he found it sufficient ; for he was able 
afterwards to say, " I take pleasure in infirmities." If, then, we do 
not obtain the very thing we ask, let us not be discouraged. We may 
have asked for a stone : our heavenly Father will not give us that ; 
but He will give us bread instead. 

Christ has not forgotten what he promised to do for us. Let us not 
forget what he has enjoined us to do for Him. He said, " If ye love 
me, keep my commandments." If we forget this charge, he will be 
released from his promise. For St. John says in his epistle, " What- 
soever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, 
and do those things that are pleasing in his sight." (1 John hi. 22.) 
What are his commandments ? He had given two while sitting at 
supper with his disciples. One was the new commandment, " Love 
one another as I have loved you." The other was, " Believe in me." 
(John xiv. 1.) Jesus did not say, " Love me." He knew his disci- 
ples loved him. He even appealed to their love as a motive of obe- 
dience, saying, " If 'ye love me, keep my commandments." Does this 
tender appeal touch our hearts ? If we love the Lord it will be a 
stronger motive to obedience than the severest threatening. God 
threatened Adam when he said, " In the day that thou eatest thereof, 
thou shalt surely die." But this threatening did not deter him from 
eating the forbidden fruit. How many who love Jesus have been de- 
terred from disobeying him by the tender words, " If ye love me, keep 
my commandments !" 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts II. 1-28. The descent of the Holy Ghost. 



John XIV. 21-23. — Jude asks an explanation. 

How it must have gladdened the hearts of the apostles to hear 
Jesus say, " I will manifest myself unto him," (that is, unto the man 
who loves me !) As it was the prospect of his absence that troubled 



OCT. 17.] JUDE ASKS AN EXPLANATION. 445 

them, the promise of his presence (if they believed that promise) must 
have cheered them. He had said before, " I will come again and re- 
ceive you to myself." But he had not said when he would come again. 
Years might pass away before he took them to the place where he 
was going. But now he promises to visit those whom he left behind. 

To whom did he address the promise ? To those who loved him. 
The apostle Jude well knew that he loved him. Therefore he did not 
inquire, " Wilt thou manifest thyself unto us ?" But he asked, " How 
wilt thou manifest thyself unto us ?" It is a comfortable thing when a 
man's own heart assures him that he loves his Lord. Our hearts tell 
us that we love our children and our friends. If we really love the 
Lord, our hearts will tell us that we do. Yet, lest we ,should deceive 
ourselves upon so important a subject, Jesus has given us a sign by 
which to try our hearts. " If a man love me, he will keep my words." 
But who keeps the words of Jesus ? If tried by this rule who shall 
stand? None keep them perfectly ; but some do keep them in the 
sense that Jesus meant ; for he said, speaking of his own apostles, in 
prayer to God, " They have kept thy word." (John xvii. 6.) This 
declaration has been a great comfort to many believers. The history 
of the apostles shows that they did not keep their Master's words per- 
fectly : they neither believed in him as fully, nor loved one another as 
warmly, as they ought. Yet still Jesus said to his Father, " They have 
kept thy word." 

When he lived upon earth the world saw him as well as his disci- 
ples ; but, since he has ascended to heaven, the world have seen him 
no more : but those who love him do see him by faith. There are 
many who have experienced the truth of this promise : " My Father 
will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with 
him." That faithful servant of God, Dr. Payson, when racked with 
pain upon his dying bed, declared, " It is not the prospect of heaven 
that makes me happy, but the sense of heaven in my own bosom." 
Where the Father and the Son abide, there must be heaven. W 7 hile 
sin remains in the heart, the believer's heaven will be darkened by 
clouds, and shaken by storms : but when sin is utterly destroyed, there 
will be no more storms, and no more clouds. 

The glorified saints are not only in heaven, but heaven is in them. 
The dawn of this heaven is in believers upon earth. Is there heaven 
in our souls ? Do the Father and the Son make their abode with us ? 
If they dwell not with us now, we shall not dwell with them hereafter. 
Remember the declaration of the apostle, " Christ in you, the hope of 
glory." Remember also his prayer, " That Christ may dwell in your 
hearts by faith." (Eph. iii. 17.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Eph. III. St. PauVs prayer for the saints. 



446 CHRIST PROMISES THE HOLY GHOST. [OCT. 18 






John XIV. 24-26. — Christ promises his disciples that the Holy Ghost 

shall teach them. 

When about to part with a friend, we often have cause to regret 
that we have not profited more from his society. A child standing by 
the bed of a dying parent, feels the value of those instructions he shall 
receive no longer, — of those prayers he shall never join in again. He 
endeavors to recall the faithful counsels, to imprint on his memory the 
familiar expressions, but day by day they fade away. 

What must the disciples have felt at the thought of hearing the 
sayings of the Lord no more ! They heard him declare, " He that 
loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings." They must have feared lest 
they should not be able even to remember them, much less to keep 
them. But Jesus knew their feelings, and he gave them a promise 
suited to their state. He promised that One should come who should 
bring to their remembrance all that he had said to them, and who 
should teach them many things he had not taught them. For he had 
treated them as children whose understandings were unripe, and had 
kept back many things that it would hereafter be good for them to 
know. These things the Holy Ghost would teach them. Did Jesus 
fulfil this promise ? Let us look into the epistles of Peter and Jude, 
of James and John, and we shall find treasures of heavenly wisdom 
that the Holy Ghost had taught them. The very discourse which we 
are now reading was brought back to the memory of John by the Holy 
Ghost. The precious words which dropped from the Saviour's lips as 
he sat at his last supper, did not fall to the ground ; they were gath- 
ered up and reserved for our instruction. Do ive feel them to be 
precious ? Do we consider these holy words better than gold, and 
sweeter than honey ? Or do we take more delight in a trifling song 
and an entertaining story, than in the words of the Son of God ? The 
true believer can say with David, " Thy word is very pure, therefore 
thy servant loveth it." 

If we really love it, we may trust that the Holy Ghost will bring it 
to our remembrance in our time of need. In the hour of temptation 
he is a faithful friend, and whispers in the ear of the tempted soul such 
a text as this, " How can I do this great wickedness and sin against 
God ?" In the hour of affliction the Holy Ghost brings to the de- 
sponding mind such a promise as this, " Whom the Lord loveth he 
chasteneth, and scourgeth -every son whom he receiveth." (Heb. xii. 
6.) And in the hour of death he sustains the sinking soul by such an 
assurance as this, " When thou passest through the waters I will be 
with thee, and through the floods they shall not overflow thee." 
(Is. xliii. 2.) 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Cor II. The teaching of the Holy Spirit. 



OCT. 19.] CHRIST PROMISES HIS DISCIPLES PEACE. 447 

John XIV. 27-29. — Christ promises to give his disciples peace. 

We sometimes read of a rich man dying and leaving a vast property 
to his heirs. But the greatest riches ever bequeathed, were be- 
queathed by one of the poorest of the sons of men. None was ever 
poorer in this world than Jesus. Yet he left his disciples the costly 
gift of "Peace." "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto 
you." This is what all the world are pursuing. They are seeking 
for peace and happiness. They desire an abundant earthly portion 
because they imagine it will confer peace. Some think that power 
will confer it ; others xhsX praise will impart it ; while many hope to 
find peace in a round of amusements, in the attainment of knowledge, 
in the endearments of home, or in the performance of active duties. 
But none of these things, not even the best of them, ever bestowed 
peace. None has peace to bestow but Jesus. He gives it to those 
who love him, and to them alone. He gave it to the weeping sinner ; 
he said to her, " Go in peace" and she went in peace. He gave it to 
the dying thief; he said, " To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise," 
and that once guilty man died in peace. He is willing to give it to 
each of you. Ask him for his peace. You will obtain it. Perhaps 
there are some here who have obtained it already ; who know they 
have been filled with joy and peace since they believed in the Son of 
God. 

But when Jesus promised this rich gift to his disciples, what was 
going to become of him 1 He also was going to be happy. He was 
going to the Father. Who can conceive the joy which he felt when he 
uttered these words, " I go unto the Father." He knew what it was to 
be with the Father. He had been with him from the beginning, for he 
himself was God. When he said, " My Father is greater than I," he 
spoke only of the greatness of his Father's office, not of the greatness 
of his nature ; for it is declared in other places, that Jesus is equal with 
God. " He thought it not robbery to be equal with God." (Phil. ii. 6.) 
" I and my Father are one." (John x. 30.) . But Jesus took upon him 
the form of a servant, and was made in fashion as a man. While he 
continued on earth he was exposed to insults ; but when he returned 
to heaven, he sat down again with his Father on his throne. 

Did it ever rejoice us to think that the Saviour's sufferings are all 
over, and that he is " made most blessed forever ?" If we loved him, 
this thought would comfort us under our own sorrows. It did com- 
fort the disciples, for when they saw him carried up into heaven, they 
returned to Jerusalem with great joy. (Luke xxiv. 52.) The same 
thought may comfort us under the loss of pious relatives. If we love 
them, we shall rejoice when we think that they are with the Father. 
When troubles overtake us, it will be soothing to reflect, "My mother 
is with the angels, and she can weep no more ; my child is in the 
midst of the happy cherubs, singing praises to his God." When we 



448 CHRIST MEETS THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD. [oCT. 20. 

ourselves are going to leave this world, may we also rejoice at the 
thought that we are going to the Father ; and may those who love us 
rejoice because they know we are going there ! A child of four years 
old, when dying, saw his parents weeping and praying around his bed. 
Suddenly rising up from his pillow, and stretching out his little arms, 
he cried out earnestly, " Let me go to God, let me go to God." Who 
could desire to detain him here !* 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. LVII. Peace. 



John XIV. 30 to end. — Christ goes forth to meet the prince of this 

world. 

It required more than human courage to utter these words, " Arise, 
let us go hence." It was the call of the Captain of our salvation to 
his children : it was their summons to accompany him to the field of 
battle. The last supper was now over, and the parting scene was 
almost closed. What tender assurances, what faithful warnings had 
flowed from the lips of Jesus while he sat at the table surrounded by 
his beloved disciples ! But now he says, " Hereafter I shall not talk 
much with you." These sweet conversations would soon be ended. 
Instead of talking with his disciples, the Son of God must be struggling 
with his foes. 

There have been many bloody battles fought since evil entered into 
this world. On some occasions hundreds of thousands have met each 
other in the field. But there never was such a battle as that fought in 
the garden Gethsemane, and on the cross of Calvary. There legions 
of wicked spirits, marshalled under the prince of this world, assaulted 
the Son of God. On Satan's side there was an innumerable host — on 
the other one man, even the man Christ Jesus. None can conceive 
what pangs he endured in the conflict. Agony of mind caused him to 
sweat great drops of blood, and wrung from him the bitter cry, " My 
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?" We find in the psalms 
a description of the workings of his sorrowful soul, when writhing be- 
neath the pressure of Satan's temptations. If we would sympathize 
with our suffering Saviour, let us read the twenty-second psalm. 
What expressions are these ! " My heart is like wax, it is melted in 
the midst of my bowels." What a prayer is this, " Save me from the 
lion's mouth !" 

But how was it Satan could not prevail against the Son of God ? 
Jesus himself explains the reason. "The prince of this world cometh, 
and hath nothing in me." There was no sin in the Saviours heart, 

* See "Children's Friend" for Sept. 1845. 



OCT. 21.] CHRIST DECLARES HE IS THE TRUE VINE. 449 

there was nothing on which Satan could work. A marble quarry can- 
not be set on fire, and the Son of God was proof against temptation. 
Satan had once seduced spotless angels from their obedience. But 
there is an infinite difference between the holiness of a creature and 
that of the Creator. Even those creatures who have never sinned are 
not, like God, incapable of pollution Therefore it is written, "He 
charged his angels with folly," (Job iv.;) and "The heavens are not 
clean in his sight." (Job xv.) 

But though the Son of God knew he should win the victory, he 
looked forward with horror to the conflict. With joy he had said, " I 
go unto the Father." With anguish he declared, " The prince of this 
world cometh." Satan was coming to make a last attempt to wrench 
the sceptre from his hands, and to snatch the crown from his head. 
Terrible indeed was the hour of the power of darkness. 

What was the mighty 'motive which urged the Son of God to meet 
the enemy ? It was love. To whom ? To his Father. It was love 
to his Father that drew him from the table around which his disciples 
sat, and led him to the garden to which his enemies were hastening. 
Therefore he said, " But that the world may know that I love the 
Father, and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. 
Arise, let us go hence." 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Col. II. Christ's triumph over principalities and powers. 



John XV. 1-8. — Christ declares he is the true vine. 

When Jesus uttered these words he was no longer seated at his 
last supper with the twelve. He had said, "Arise, let us go hence." 
It is recorded by St. Matthew, that before he left the table, he sang a 
hymn with his disciples. (Matt. xxvi. 30.) It is probable that the 
hymn consisted of several psalms, beginning at the 113th, and ending 
with the 1 18th. They were called the Hallel, because they open with 
the words, "Praise ye the Lord." They celebrate the deliverance of 
Israel from the land of Egypt, and on that account were always sung 
at the feast of the Passover. But they also describe a greater deliver- 
ance than that from Egypt, even the deliverance of God's people from 
the depths of hell. Though many prophets had sung these psalms 
year after year at the holy feast, none had ever understood them as 
He did, who sung them that night with his beloved apostles. He 
knew the meaning of the words, " Bind the sacrifice with cords to the 
horns of the altar." (Ps. cxviii. 27.) Ere the next setting sun this 
prophecy was fulfilled by the cry, " Crucify him, crucify him." 

Now let us follow the sorrowful little band as they descended the 

57 



450 CHRIST DECLARES HE IS THE TRUE VINE. [*0CT. 21 

stairs, proceeded through the dark streets of Jerusalem, and along the 
path that led down the vale of Kedron. It is probable that beside that 
stream vine-trees grew, and that our Saviour pointed to those trees 
when he said, " I am the true vine." By the means of a plant be 
wished to teach his disciples this most important truth, that all their 
safety lay in union with himself. The branches of the vine, while 
united to the stem, bear precious fruit, but when cut off are worthless, 
and only fit for the fire. The prophet Ezekiel thus describes the vine, 
" Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work ? Behold it is cast into 
the fire for fuel." (Ezek. xv. 3, 4.) 

The Lord was going to leave his disciples, yet he said, " Abide in 
me and I in } 7 ou." How would they be able to do this when he would 
be with the Father, and they on the earth ? They would abide in him 
by believing in him ; and he would abide in them by his Spirit. This 
is the union which exists between the exalted Saviour and all his peo- 
ple now upon earth. Though they see him not, they believe in him, 
and thus they abide in him ; though he reigns in the highest heaven, 
he dwells in their hearts by his Spirit, and thus he dwells in them. 
This union is not to be seen, but the effects are to be seen. We 
might not be able to tell whether a branch grew upon the vine, or 
whether it was only skilfully fastened on it. But if we watched the 
tree, we should know by two signs. The false branch would bear no 
fruit, and at length — it would wither. 

False professors of religion bear no fruit. They may do what are 
called good works ; they may be very active and charitable ; they may 
refrain from worldly amusements, and frequent religious assemblies, 
but they cannot love Christ or love his people for his sake. Love is 
the fruit. " Love is of God. Every one that loveth is born of God, 
and knoweth God." If a man say, " I love God, and hateth his 
brother, he is a liar." (1 John iv. 7, 20.) 

Those branches which do not bear fruit will at length wither. None 
but God can tell ivhen. They may wither soon ; they may, like 
Judas, fall into some open and atrocious sin, which shall unmask their 
characters, and cover their names with infamy. Or they may not 
wither till they die. Angels shall gather up the withered branches 
and cast them into the fire, and they shall be burned. Are we 
united to the true vine ? To appear to belong to this vine, and not to 
belong to it, is to be twice dead. St. Jude describes false professors 
as " trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up 
by the roots." 

Evening Scripture portion. Titus I. False professors. 



OCT. 22.] CHRIST ASSURES HIS DISCIPLES OF HIS LOVE. 451 



John XV. 9-12. — Christ assures his disciples of his love. 

It is a great comfort to an affectionate child to receive from a dying 
parent an assurance of his love. Though he knew before that his 
parent loved him, yet there is a satisfaction when the time of parting 
approaches, to hear fresh expressions of attachment. Many failings 
on his own part rushing to his recollection, make him feel that he does 
not deserve to be loved ; and he listens eagerly to the tender words 
which dispel his fears. 

Such must have been the feelings of the disciples when their Mas- 
ter was going to leave them. He knew the state of their hearts, and 
applied the healing balm they needed. But he did not say simply, 
" I have loved you." He told them how much. And how much did 
he love them ? If the Son of God had not declared it we could not 
have believed that his love was so very great ; even the thought would 
have seemed the height of presumption and profaneness. " As the 
Father hath loved me, so have I loved you." How great must be the 
love with which the Father has always loved his only-begotten Son, 
the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person ! 
The Son speaks of this love as existing before the worlds were made. 
" Then I was by him, as one brought up with him ; I was daily his 
delight, rejoicing always before him." (Prov. viii. 30.) And this is 
the love with which we are desired to love one another, for Christ 
said, " This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have 
loved you." As the Father loves the Son, so the Son loves us, and 
so we ought to love one another. Such love does not spring up nat- 
urally in our hearts. This is the description the word of God gives 
of sinful men : " Hateful, and hating one another." (Titus iii. 3.) 

Jesus presents the strongest motives to incite us to love each other. 
Do we desire to continue to enjoy his love ? Then we must love one 
another ; for he says, " If ye keep my commandments ye shall abide 
in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and 
abide in his love." He had said before, ■" If ye love me, keep my 
commandments." Then he appealed to their love for him, now he 
refers to his own for them. With both these silken cords he sought 
to bind their hearts together in the bonds of brotherly love. 

He urges yet another motive. He was while on earth a man of 
sorrows, and acquainted with grief; yet sometimes he rejoiced in 
spirit. It was over his disciples he rejoiced. Did they desire to con- 
tinue to be his joy, they must love one another. " These things have 
I spoken to you, that my joy might remain in you." It is a delightful 
thought to give joy to the Son of God. We have caused him grief 
enough, and pain enough, and shame enough ; — and shall we cause 
him no joy ? To see his children on earth living together in love, is 
his joy now he is in heaven. How must he be grieved when he sees 
them suspecting each other's motives, exposing each other's faults, 



452 CHRIST CALLS HIS DISCIPLES HIS FRIENDS. [oCT. 23. 

thwarting each other's wishes, and wounding each other's feelings ! 
Disciples who act thus cannot be the joy of the God of love ; neither 
can they be happy themselves — their joy cannot be full. Where there 
is little love, there can be little joy. If heaven were not full of love, 
it could not be full of joy. Let us observe our own feelings. When 
a dark suspicion enters our hearts — are we happy ? When a revenge- 
ful feeling is kindled — are we happy ? When selfishness freezes, or 
pride puffs us up — are we happy ? But when we melt in sympathy 
with our suffering brethren, or glow with desire to do them good, does 
not our joy increase ? We are being trained up here to join the mul- 
titude which no man can number. We are to love all those happy 
spirits. Not one is to be treated with contempt or dislike, or even 
with shyness and reserve. All are to be loved by us with the love 
with which the Father loves the Son, with which the Son loves us. 
Let us begin this happy life now. Let us love one another. Though 
there are a multitude of sins in our brethren as well as in ourselves, 
yet love is a mantle wide enough to cover them all. 

Evening Scripture portion. 2d Epistle of John. Christian love. 



John XV. 13-16. — Christ calls his disciples his friends. 

The Lord Jesus showed more tenderness to his disciples in the last 
scene than he had ever shown before. Though he received them 
graciously at first, and treated them kindly afterwards, yet he reserved 
the choicest expressions of his love for the moment of parting. We 
never read till we come to this passage such a declaration as, " Ye are 
my friends" 

This is the manner in which the Lord deals with all his people. It 
is in the latter stages of their pilgrimage that he makes them know 
most of his loving-kindness. When they are weighed down by the 
infirmities of age, or racked by the pains of sickness, he often lifts up 
the light of his countenance upon them, as he had never done before, 
so that their last days are their best days. Like the aged Simeon, 
they exclaim, " Mine eyes have seen thy salvation ;" or, like the dy- 
ing Stephen, " I see the heavens opened, and Jesus standing at the 
right hand of God." 

One of the proofs of friendship is confidence. The Lord treated 
his disciples with confidence. He said to them, " All things that I 
have heard of my Father I have made known to you." But while on 
his part there was confidence, he expected on their part obedience ; for 
he did not wish them to forget he was their Father, as well as their 
Friend, therefore he said, " Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever 1 
command you." It is written in the Psalms: "The secret of x the 



OCT. 24.] CHRIST PREPARES HIS DISCIPLES. 453 

Lord is with them that fear him, and he will show them his covenant." 
(Ps. xxv. 14.) The covenant is that secret which Jesus had heard 
from his Father, and which he unfolds to his friends. It is the secret 
of his love before time began. Jesus loved his apostles before they 
loved him. He declared this truth to them when he said, " Ye have 
not chosen me, but I have chosen you." If he had not chosen them, 
they would never have desired to serve him. When Andrew with 
another disciple stood by John the Baptist, and heard him say, " Be- 
hold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world," they 
would have felt no inclination to follow that Lamb, had not Jesus first 
chosen them. His love was the invisible magnet that drew them after 
their Saviour. 

Christ not only chose his apostles to be his friends ; he also ordained 
them to bear fruit. In all things he pleased not himself. He did not 
call them to leave their employments that they might be his compan- 
ions as he walked from place to place, or his defenders when assaulted 
by his enemies. Angels would gladly have left their habitation to be 
his solace and his guard. It was not his own comfort that he sought, 
but his Father's glory. He appointed the apostles to bear the tidings 
of salvation to the ends of the world ; and he promised that their labor 
should not be in vain. To this hour their fruit remains. On earth 
there are thousands rejoicing in the Gospel which the apostles preach- 
ed ; in heaven a multitude that no man can number. The works of 
worldly men who lived in the apostles' days have perished. The vic- 
tories they won have conferred no lasting benefit ; the buildings they 
reared are fallen or crumbling into ruin ; the books they wrote, if they 
still survive, never yet made one creature happy. But the labors of 
the apostles can never be forgotten ; the sinners they converted are 
saved ; and at length the world, through the truths they preached, 
shall be made holy and happy. Let us tread in their steps. We also 
are the friends of Jesus, if we do what he commands us. We may 
bring forth fruit that shall never wither. Feeble as we are, Christ will 
not despise us. He says to us, " Be not weary in well doing ; for in 
due season ye shall reap, if ye faint not." It is far better to convert 
one soul, than, like Columbus, to discover a continent ; or, like Her- 
schell, a planet. The fruits of science will pass away, but the fruits 
of grace will abide unto eternal life. 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. XLI. Abraham the friend of God. 



John XV. 17 to end. — Christ prepares his disciples for the world's 

hatred. 

The Lord Jesus did not tell his disciples at the begimtins of this 
conversation, that the world would hate them. He told tnejn first 



454 CHRIST PREPARES HIS DISCIPLES. [oCT. 24 

of his own great love. After hearing of that love, they ought to be 
able to bear to hear that the world would hate them. For what is the 
hatred of the world compared to the love of Jesus ! If all the crea- 
tures were to hate us, they could not harm us, while the Creator loved 
us. 

There is another reason why we should not care for the world's 
hatred. It is this : the world hated Jesus ; though he was perfectly 
lovely, they hated him. Some young Christians imagine that they 
can escape the hatred of the world. They think that very amiable 
manners, and very prudent conduct, and very benevolent actions, will 
prevent even wicked men disliking them. But who can be as amiable 
as Jesus was, or as prudent, or as benevolent ? There are some called 
Christians who stand high in the world's esteem ; but how do they 
w r in this esteem ? Is it not by keeping silence when they ought to 
speak, by joining in amusements which they ought to shun, and by 
cultivating friendships which they ought to renounce ? Why did the 
world hate Jesus ? He has told us the reason. Because he testified 
that its works were evil. (John vii. 7.) We ought to do the same. 
The apostle Paul says, " Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works 
of darkness, but rather reprove them." (Eph. v. 11.) There may be 
occasions in which we cannot, reprove in words ; but we should never, 
even by a smile, seem to approve wicked actions or discourse. 

It is a comfort to the faithful Christian to think that he shares in his 
Master's reproach. It was a comfort to the Son of God to know that 
he was hated for his Father's sake. He said, " The reproaches of 
them that reproached thee, have fallen upon we." (Rom. xv. 3.) He 
was the express image of his Father, and the world did not admire that 
image. The disciples of Jesus are not his express image ; but they 
bear some likeness to him, and even that likeness, faint as it is, the 
world abhors. How astonished angels must be to see him whom they 
adore, despised by men ! No sin that man commits can be compared 
to the sin of hating God. If they hated him because they did not 
know him, their guilt would not be so great ; but they hate him the 
more, the more they know him. The missionaries in Africa have been 
struck with this singular fact. Distant tribes show more desire to 
hear the Gospel than the tribes that lie near the missionary station. 
And why ? Because the tribes that lie near know better what Chris- 
tianity is, how pure, how peaceable, how gentle. Their wicked hearts 
turn from such a religion ; they prefer their own cruel practices, and 
unholy customs, to the loving and pure doctrines of the Gospel. The 
carnal mind is still enmity against God. If the Son of God were 
again to descend to this world, and if, clad in a humble garb, he were 
to visit this country, he would again be despised and rejected. Do 
we feel that we should not despise him ? Let us inquire what proof 
we give that we should not. Do we love his servants, whoever they 
are, and wherever we find them ? And is it for their holiness we love 
them ? If we prefer a real Christian, though unlearned, unpolished, 



OCT. 25.] CHRIST PREPARES HIS DISCIPLES. 455 

unpleasing, to the most eloquent, agreeable, and accomplished worldly 
person, then we have reason to hope that we actually do love Jesus. 

Evening Scripture portion. . 1 Peter IV. Christians hated by the world. 



John XIV. 1-4. — Christ prepares his disciples for afflictions. 

None of us know what particular afflictions we shall be called to 
endure. The Lord Jesus was the only man who knew all things that 
would befall him. Even the apostle Paul, who was a prophet, said, 
" Now behold I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing 
the things that shall befall me there.'' (Acts xx. 22.) Yet God has 
sometimes revealed to men a few of the future events of their lives. 
He told David that he would sit upon a throne, and afterwards he pre- 
dicted that the sword would never depart from his house. He has 
wise reasons for spreading a thick curtain over the future, and he has 
wise reasons for sometimes lifting up a little corner of the curtain and 
permitting men to have a glimpse into his counsels. 

The Lord Jesus thought fit to tell the disciples some events that 
would happen to them. He said, " They shall put you out of the 
synagogue ; yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think 
he doeth God service." What was his reason for acquainting them 
with these afflictions ? He himself states the reason : " These things 
have I spoken unto you that ye should not be offended," or made to 
stumble. There is a strong temptation in times of great affliction to 
distrust God. It is very hard when he smites us, to believe that he 
loves us. When we are prosperous and happy, then it is easy to say, 
" As many as he loves he rebukes and chastens." It is easy then to 
believe, or to think we believe, that he does not willingly grieve or 
afflict the children of men. But when pining in a dungeon, or threat- 
ened with the stake, then it is hard not to imagine that God has for- 
gotten to be gracious. When Satan desired to deprive Job of all his 
comforts, he knew how much that faithful man would be tempted to 
speak against his God. Those who have experienced sore afflictions 
can remember the struggle in their hearts at such times. Jesus knew 
the weakness of his disciples : he knew what they would feel when 
cast out of the synagogues, and sentenced to die a cruel death. There- 
fore he prepared them for these trials, that when they were afflicted 
they might think, " These are no strange things that have come upon 
us ; our Lord told us before that they would happen." Some years 
ago a Malagassy woman was persecuted cruelly by the queen of Mada- 
gascar. For five months she was shut up in an iron cage that prevent- 
ed her from moving a limb, and for a long while she wandered in the 



456 CHRIST PROMISES THE COMFORTER. [oCT. 2G. 

forests, living upon wild roots, to escape the spear of the executioner. 
Afterwards, when in England, she was asked whether she was sur- 
prised at these trials. She replied, " O no, I had read in the word of 
God that ' we should suffer tribulation,' and I expected trials to come." 

Evening Scripture portion. Rev. XII. Persecution for Chrisfs sake. 



John XVI. 5-11. — Christ promises to send the Comforter to reprove 

the world. 

Why did the Lord Jesus say to his disciples, " None of you asketh 
me, Whither goest thou ?" Had they not asked him already, and 
had he not told them that he was going to his Father ? Many times he 
had said, " I go unto the Father." Yet the apostles continued to mourn 
as if their Master had been going to an enemy instead of to his Father, 
— as if he had been going where they could never come, and whence 
he would never return, — as if he had been going where he could not 
hear their prayers, or send them help in trouble. Do we not often 
mourn as if we had no merciful Mediator to present our prayers to the 
Father — no Almighty Saviour to send us succor from on high ? The 
Lord gently reproved his disciples for their excessive sorrow, saying, 
" Because I ha^e said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your 
heart." 

Afterwards he continued to make them comforting promises. One 
of these promises was that he would send the Holy Spirit. He had 
before told them of many blessings that the Holy Spirit would confer 
on them : he now tells them what he would do for the world. He 
would reprove (or convince) the world of three things, — sin, — righte- 
ousness, — and judgment. The world were not yet convinced of these 
things. If they had been, they would not have crucified the Lord of 
glory. 

The world did not know that it was a sin not to believe in Jesus. 
They did not know that the righteousness of Christ atoned for the un- 
righteousness of men, and that his ascension to his Father proved that 
his offering had been accepted. They did not know that Satan, the 
prince of this world, was judged when Jesus, the Prince of life, expired 
on the cross. 

And did the world ever know these things ? Three thousand of the 
world were convinced of sin, righteousness, and judgment, when Peter 
preached his first sermon. When they flocked around the apostles, 
anxiously asking, " What shall we do ?" then did our Saviour's prom- 
ise begin to be fulfilled. 

Since that time many thousands of the children of this world have 
been pricked in their hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit, and they 



OCT. 27.] CHRIST PROMISES TO SEND THE SPIRIT. 457 

also have asked, "What shall we do?" Have we ever asked this 
question ? Are we convinced of sin, of righteousness, and of judg- 
ment ? It is only those whom the Spirit has taught who feel unbelief 
to be a great sin. It is only 'they who desire to be found in the righte- 
ousness of Christ. It is only they who rejoice that the prince of this 
world has been overcome. We were all ignorant of these things once. 
If we understand them now, a great change must have taken place f in 
our hearts. It was the Holy Spirit who wrought that change, who 
taught us to mourn for sin, to believe in Christ, and to resist Satan. 
Have we come as penitents to Christ ? As believers let us cleave to 
him. As conquerors we shall reign with him. 

Evening Scripture portion. •' 

Zech. III. IV. The power of Christ and the Spirit. 



John XVI. 12-15. — Christ promises to send the Spirit to teach the 

disciples. 

The Lord Jesus knew that this was his last conversation with his 
disciples before his death. He had said to them, while sitting at the 
supper-table, " Hereafter I will not talk much with you." But if he 
had had more time for discourse, he could not have taught them all he 
wished. And why not? Because their hearts were not in a fit state 
to receive all his instructions. The disciples were only babes in Christ, 
and they had need of milk, and not of meat. They had shown, a few 
hours ago, that they were only babes, for even at the last supper there 
had been a strife among them which should be the greatest. Christians 
who have grown much in grace do not desire to be exalted above their 
brethren. 

The disciples must have been grieved when they heard their Master 
say, " I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them 
now." They must have been grieved to find they lost many sweet 
disclosures of grace from the lips of the Son of God himself. There 
were many precious truths in their Lord's heart, which he would have 
communicated to his beloved children had they been able to receive 
them. If we would grow in the knowledge of the truth, we must lay 
aside all malice, and envies, and evil-speakings ; for these sinful pas- 
sions clog up the soul, and prevent the entrance of the truth. 

In this farewell discourse the sympathizing Saviour never dwelt 
long upon any sorrowful topic, for it appears to have been his great 
desire to comfort his disciples. It was to comfort them he spoke of 
the coming of this Spirit, and of all the benefits he would confer. He 
made three promises concerning the Spirit. " He will guide you into 
all truth." " He will show you things to come." " He shall glorify 

58 



458 THE DISCIPLES CANNOT UNDERSTAND. [OCT. 28. 

me," that is, he will show you my glory. The writings of the apostles 
prove that the Lord fulfilled these promises. 

In their epistles, (as in the whole Bible,) we find truth, without any 
admixture of error. In them we are told of " things to come." What 
a description the apostle Peter gives, in his second epistle, of the 
burning up of the world ! and what wonderful scenes are opened to 
our eyes in the Revelation granted to the apostle John ! In the 
epistles we see the accomplishment of the promise, " He shall glorify 
me." Three of the apostles had seen the glory of Christ on the 
mount of transfiguration. But there is a glory which cannot be seen 
by human eyes. The Spirit reveals this glory to the souls of all true 
believers, as the apostle Paul declares, " But we all, with open face, 
beholding, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, are changed into the 
same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 
(2 Cor. iii. 18.) Unbelief is the veil that hides the glory from the 
heart : but when the Holy Spirit, by his might, takes away this veil, 
then the glory of Christ shines into the inmost soul, true believers 
look with open or unveiled face into the gospel glass, (or mirror,) and 
behold the glory of the Son of God. At first they see it very dimly : 
but they are changed into the same image from glory to glory. They 
grow in the knowledge of Christ. Let not those be cast down who 
have only just begun to seek Christ. Perhaps now you often say 
with tears, " Help thou mine unbelief." Perhaps now you feel that 
these words concerning Jesus do not apply to you. " In whom, 
though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy un- 
speakable, and full of glory." (1 Peter i. 8.) Pray that the Holy 
Spirit may enlighten your eyes, that you may by faith behold the 
glory of Christ — of that " High Priest who is set on the right hand 
of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens." (Heb. viii. 1.) Earth 
contains no glory like his. Why has the heavenly city no need of the 
sun or moon to shine in it ? Because " the glory of God lightens it, 
and the Lamb is the light thereof." (Rev. xxi. 23.) 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Cor. III. The glory of Christ. 



John XVI. 16-22. — The disciples cannot understand their Lord. 

As the disciples accompanied their Master towards the garden of 
Gethsemane, they suffered much from the perplexity they felt. They 
saw they were going to be separated from their heavenly Friend ; but 
they could not tell by what means, or for how long a time. When he 
said, " I go to my Father, and ye see me no more," then it seemed 
that the separation would be long ; but when he said, " A little while, 



OCT. 28.] THE DISCIPLES CANNOT UNDERSTAND 459 

• and ye shall see me," then it seemed that it would be short. Why 
did they not ask their Lord to explain his words ? Four times in the 
course of this conversation they had ventured to speak. Peter had 
asked, "Whither goest thou?" Thomas had said, "How can we 
know the way?" Philip had exclaimed, " Show us the Father." And 
Jude had inquired, " How is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto 
us ?" Each of these apostles had received a gracious answer. Why 
did they hesitate again to apply to their condescending Lord ? He had 
once said to all weary and heavy-laden sinners, " Learn of me, for I 
am meek and lowly of heart." Would he, then, refuse to teach his 
own beloved disciples ? As they were afraid to ask him, he kindly 
offered to instruct them. But instead of explaining what he meant by 
" a little while," he described the great sorrow they would soon feel, 
and the great joy that would succeed. Thus he prepared them, in the 
tenderest manner, for his own death. He described their grief in these 
words, " Ye shall weep and lament." It is recorded that, while their 
Lord lay in the grave, " they mourned and wept." (Mark xvi.) Were 
more bitter tears ever shed, than those they shed on that occasion ? 
Since the beginning of the world none had ever experienced so great 
a calamity as that they thought had befallen them. Adam and Eve 
must have felt acute anguish when driven out of the Garden of Eden ; 
yet even they had a promise to sustain them ; " The seed of the 
woman shall bruise the serpent's head." But the apostles had scarcely 
a spark of hope remaining. Their faith was so weak, that they could 
hardly believe it possible that the wounded body of their Lord should 
rise from the tomb. But while they were weeping, the world w T as 
rejoicing. The chief priests and scribes flattered themselves that they 
had got rid of the man they hated, and that they should hear of him 
no more. But how soon were the cases reversed ! The disciples' 
sorrow was turned into joy : the world's joy into sorrow. 

So also it will be when Jesus comes again. Many who laugh now 
will weep then ; and many who mourn now will rejoice then. How 
would the world feel now, if they were assured that the Son of God 
would never return in the clouds of heaven,— if they could be certain 
that there was no hell and no heaven ! Would they not rejoice ? But 
how would true Christians feel, if it were possible for them to know 
that they would never see the Son of God ? Would they not feel the 
bitterest disappointment ? Would they not feel that their highest hopes 
were withered ? How should toe feel ? Would it be any disappoint- 
ment to us to think we should never see Jesus ? There are many who 
only wish to go to heaven, because they know that if they do not go 
there, they must go to hell. But this is not the Christian's feeling. 
Were all the pleasures of earth promised to him, he would not wish 
to live one day longer below in order to enjoy them. This is the desire 
of his heart and the request of his lips : 

" Forever to behold him shine, 
For evermore to call him mine, 



460 CHRIST ASSURES HIS DISCIPLES. [OCT. 29. 

And see him still before me ; 
Forever on his face to gaze, 
And meet his full assembled rays, 
While all the Father he displays 

To all his saints in glory." 

Collection of the Rev. W. Carus Wilson. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. XCVII. XCVIII. Joy at the Lord's coming. 



John XVI. 23-27. — Christ assures his disciples of his Father's 

love. 

A child who has been bereft of wise and pious parents feels the 
loss of their counsels and of their prayers. But who ever gave such 
wise counsels as the Lord Jesus ? Who ever offered up such fervent 
prayers as he did ? The thought of losing his instructions and his 
prayers must have grieved the disciples. Whenever they were per- 
plexed they could ask him ; and even when they did not venture to 
ask him, he knew their difficulties, and explained the meaning of his 
own words. It must have cheered them to hear him say, that when 
lie returned after his short absence they should understand him better 
than before. " In that day ye shall ask me nothing." The word 
" ask" in this place means " inquire." After the resurrection Jesus 
no longer spake to his disciples in proverbs, (or short mysterious say- 
ings,) but he showed them plainly from the Father. He also opened 
their understanding to understand the Scriptures, (Luke xxiv. 45,) and 
the Holy Spirit afterwards carried on the work that he had begun. 

Did the disciples fear lest they should faint in prayer, now that he 
who prayed for them and with them was going to leave them? Jesus 
gave them this encouraging promise : " Whatsoever ye shall ask the 
Father in my name, he will give it you." The word " ask" here 
means request, and not " inquire," as in the first part of the verse. And 
why were they to ask in his name ? Was the Father unwilling to 
hear them ? no, his heart is not hardened against his creatures : it 
does not need to be melted. Why then must we ask in the name of 
Jesus ? Because we are sinners, and God is too holy to encourage 
sin ; and therefore he has appointed a way by which sinners may ap- 
proach him without polluting his spotless throne. That way is through 
the merits of his righteous Son. " He ever liveth to make interces- 
sion for them who come unto God by him." (Heb. vii. 25.) The Lord 
Jesus knows how apt we are to doubt the Father's love. Therefore 
he said to his disciples, " The Father himself loveth you because ye 
have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God." Can 
the disciples have continued to look sad when they heard this sweet 



OCT. 30.] THE DISCIPLES FORSAKE CHRIST. 461 

declaration from the lips of him who knew all the secrets of the 
Father's heart ! Every one who loves Jesus may feel assured that the 
Father loves him. Even earthly parents love those who love their 
children. Though a person have no quality to recommend him, yet 
the mother's heart will be drawn towards him, if he love her child. 
How tenderly then must the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ love 
those who love his only Son ! 

Evening Scripture portion. Heb. X. Access to the Father through Christ. 



John XVI. 28 to end. — Christ foretells that all his disciples will 
forsake him. 

What caused the disciples to exclaim, "Lo, now thou speakest plain- 
ly, and speakest no proverb?" They had been greatly perplexed by hear- 
ing their Master say, " A little while, and ye shall not see me ;" nor were 
they relieved from their perplexity till they heard him declare, " I leave 
the world, and go unto the Father." They had heard him say before, "I 
go unto the Father," but they could not understand the declaration till 
he said also, " I leave the world." Perhaps they now imagined he would 
leave the world in a fiery chariot, as Elijah did, and that they, like 
Elisha, should behold his glorious ascension. And so he did at length, 
hxxi first he had to pass through the darkest valley of the shadow of 
death ever trod by man. The disciples were especially struck by 
their Lord knowing their difficulties, when they had never expressed 
them to him. They had only inquired among themselves, " What is 
this that he saith unto us ?" Yet Jesus knew their perplexity and re- 
lieved it. Astonished at this display of his wisdom, they exclaimed, 
" Now we are sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that 
any man should ask thee ; by this we believe that thou earnest forth 
from God." They believed in him before, but they thought they be- 
lieved more now. In this they were mistaken ; their faith, though 
real, was as weak as ever. Warmth of feeling does not prove strength 
of faith. What does prove it ? As fire tries gold, so temptations try 
faith. Abraham's faith was tried by the command to offer Isaac as a 
sacrifice to God, and it was found strong. Afterwards the Lord said 
to this eminent believer, " Now I know that thou fearest me, because 
thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me." Jonah's 
faith was tried by the command to preach to the men of Nineveh, and 
it was found weak : for he fled from the presence of the Lord. 

We cannot tell what is the strength of our faith till it is tried. We 
may imagine that we would give up brilliant prospects or encounter 
great dangers for the sake of Christ, and yet when the temptation 
comes we may be allured by some glittering toy, or terrified by the 



462 CHRIST BEGINS TO PRAY [OCT. 31. 

shaking of a leaf. " Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest 
he fall." A trial was coming on the disciples that showed they did 
not believe in their Lord so firmly as they supposed. In the hour of 
danger they left him alone. How must they have been grieved when 
they heard Jesus say, " Ye shall be scattered every man to his own, 
and shall leave me alone." Surely it would cause a child of God far 
more sorrow to know the sins he would commit than the sufferings he 
would endure. 

But the Lord would not end this discourse with sorrowful words. 
The beginning of it was, " Let not your heart be troubled." The end 
was, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Jesus does 
not promise his people a prosperous life, but he does promise them a 
peaceful one. He says, " In the world ye shall have tribulation ; but 
in me ye shall have peace." This is a mystery to the world, because 
they imagine that happiness arises from prosperous circumstances. It 
is true their happiness proceeds from nothing else ; but the happiness 
of the people of God flows from a sense of forgiving love and a hope 
of eternal glory. This happiness is often greatest when earthly cir- 
cumstances are the least prosperous. Therefore it is that in prison 
they have been heard to sing, and, even in the flames, seen to smile. 

In the days of the Reformers, a husband and wife of the town of 
Perth, in Scotland, were condemned to die, but not together — that 
was esteemed too great a privilege. The woman took leave of her 
beloved partner in these words, " Husband, rejoice, for we have lived 
together many jo)^ful days, but this day in which we must die ought 
to be most joyful unto us both, because we have joy forever. There- 
fore I will not bid you good-night ; for we shall suddenly meet with 
joy in the kingdom of heaven." She was then led forth to be drowned, 
holding a little babe in her arms. After giving the infant into the 
nurse's care she sank beneath the suffocating waters.* 

Evening Scripture portion. Habakkuk III. Rejoicing in God in affliction. 



John XVII. 1-5. — Christ begins to pray in the presence of his 

apostles. 

The Lord Jesus often prayed with his disciples ; but very few of 
his prayers are recorded. This is the last before his death that he 
offered up in their presence, and on their behalf. While they listened, 
they were filled with grief, for they feared it was the last. Jesus 
knew their feelings, and he avoided using any expressions that could 
increase their sorrow. When he speaks of his departure, instead of 

* English Martyrology, vol. i. p. 151. 



OCT. 31.] IN THE PRESENCE OF HIS APOSTLES. 46S 

saying, " I die," he says, " I leave the world," " I go to the Father," 
or, " I come to thee." The compassionate Saviour sought to bind up 
the wounded hearts of his disciples. He is the tenderest of friends. 
If we go to Him in our troubles, we shall find him so. Many who 
wish to console do not know how ; in attempting to bind up wounds 
they tear them open, but Jesus has a gentle hand, as well as a com- 
passionate heart. 

While consoling his disciples, he seems for a time to rise above his 
own afflictions. A little while before, at the supper-table ; he was 
troubled in spirit ; a little while after, in the garden, he was exceeding 
sorrowful ; but during his solemn walk from Jerusalem to Gethsem- 
ane, he appeared to be filled with thoughts of his approaching glory. 

He lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, " Father, the hour is 
come ; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee." With 
what feelings must he have lifted up his eyes to that heaven whence 
he came ! He had seen its bright inhabitants, had heard its sweet 
songs, had breathed its pure air. how he must have longed to take 
the wings of a dove, and to return to his rest ! But first he must wade 
through a sea of sorrow. With meekness he says, " Father, the hour 
is come." And what is his petition : "Glorify thy Son." Afterwards 
he repeats that petition, and enlarges it, saying, " Now, O Father, glo- 
rify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee 
before the world began." (ver. 6.) 

Our recollections cannot go back even to the beginning of our own 
short lives ; but the thoughts of Jesus dwelt upon events that took 
place before the foundation of the world. He remembered the glory 
he once possessed in the bosom of the Father ; he remembered the 
mighty reasons that caused him to leave it. His Father had entered 
into a covenant with Him : he had appointed him a ivork, and had 
promised him a reward. That work was the destruction of Satan. 
That reward was eternal life to be given to as many as the Father had 
given him. But had he finished the work ? By faith he saw it as 
already finished ; for though the most excruciating agonies still re- 
mained to be endured, yet he felt as if they were already past ; so 
short the suffering appeared, and so certain the victory. And the re- 
ward would richly compensate for all the pangs of the cross. He 
would "see of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied." (Is. liii. 11.) 
His prayer was, " Glorify thy Son." The prayer will be answered 
through the ages of eternity, as the innumerable saints clothed in white 
robes with palms in their hands, cry with a loud voice, " Salvation to 
our God which sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb." (Rev. vii. 
10.) 

It was this prospect which sustained the Saviour through all his 
sufferings. It was because of this "joy" set before him, that he "en- 
dured the cross, and despised the shame." (Heb. xii. 2.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. LXIX. The covenant of the Father and the Son. 



464 CHRIS'l SPEAKS TO HIS FATHER OF HIS APOSTLES. [NOV. 1. 



John XVII. 6-10. — Christ speaks to his Father of his apostles. 

It is very touching to hear a friend praying for us. The heart of a 
child is moved and melted while he hears a parent describe his case, 
and plead for him at the footstool of divine mercy. Are there not some 
of us who can remember such moments ? How did the disciples feel 
when they heard their beloved Master speak of them to his Father ; 
for they must have known it was of them he spake, when he said, 
" The men whom thou gavest me out of the world." 

Are the apostles the only men that the Father has given to the Son ? 
Blessed be his name, they are not. An innumerable multitude have 
been given to the Son, as the fruit of his infinite sufferings. St. Paul, 
in writing to the Ephesians, says, " Blessed be the God and Father 
of the Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual bless- 
ings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in 
him before the foundation of the world." Adam and Eve, by one sin- 
ful act, gave themselves, and all their children, to Satan ; and the whole 
human race must have perished, had not the Father given to his Son 
a spiritual family. And that family is a numerous one ; " that the 
abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to 
the glory of God." (2 Cor. iv. 15.) 

The Lord Jesus watches over the men whom the Father has given 
him out of the world ! Who would not water the plants, or nourish 
the lambs, that a beloved friend had intrusted to his care ! Much 
more would he show kindness to his friend's children if they were left 
to his guardianship. But no guardian was ever so watchful, no teacher 
so patient, no nurse so tender as Jesus ever has been to the men whom 
the Father has given him out of the world. During the three years 
that he led the apostles from place to place, he forget his own ease, his 
own pleasure, his own feelings, that he might instruct, and comfort, 
and edify them. When he was going to leave them, he could declare 
to his Father that he had faithfully discharged his trust. He said, " I 
have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of 
the world." On the part of Jesus nothing had been wanting. 

But what did Jesus say of his apostles? Did he declare to his 
Father how often they had doubted his power, repulsed his poor sup- 
pliants, and disputed with each other for honor and distinction ? No ; 
he said not one word against them. He was not their accuser, but 
their intercessor. He said, " They have kept thy w r ord ; they have 
believed that thou didst send me." 

Many believers, who are now cast down, would be lifted up, if they 
could hear the prayers that Jesus is offering up for them at his Fa- 
ther's right hand. While they are lamenting their sins, their Saviour 
is speaking well of them before the throne. While they are saying, 
" Surely Jesus must be ashamed of us," He is saying, " I am glori- 
fied in them." If the change already wrought in their hearts brings 



NOV. 2.] CHRIST PRAYS FOR HIS APOSTLES. 465 

glory to Jesus, how much more will their perfection ! Could we see 
the diamond as it was found in the mine, we should know how to ap- 
preciate the jeweller's skill. How unlike is the dull and rough stone 
to the gem that shines with liquid lustre in the monarch's crown ! 
But not so unlike as the one dark, polluted, guilty soul, is to the pure 
and bright spirit now rejoicing in the presence of Jesus. When mil- 
lions of such happy beings surround the throne, with what rapture 
will their Saviour say, " I am glorified in them." To have rescued 
those souls from the pit of hell, and to have washed them from the 
pollution of sin, will bring more glory to Jesus than to have created 
the innumerable worlds that fill the boundless regions of space. 

Evening Scripture portion. Heb. VIII. The great High Priest. 



John XVII. 11-19. — Christ prays for his apostles. 

Before the Lord Jesus offered up any petition for his disciples, he 
presented their case to his Father. He described the desolate situa- 
tion in which they would soon be left. " And now I am no more in 
the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee." Before 
we pray for our friends, it is well to consider their circumstances, and 
to spread them before the Lord. By doing this, we are enabled to 
offer up prayers suited to their wants. Our indolent minds are often 
content with saying, " Bless my friend, my father, and my child ;" but 
we ought to inquire what blessing each of them appears to stand most 
in need of, and to ask for that. 

What was the petition which the Saviour made for his disciples ? 
It was this : " Keep through thine own name those whom thou hast 
given me, that they may be one, as we are." When the disciples 
heard this prayer, must they not have been reminded of their frequent 
contentions 1 How lately they had disputed which should be greatest ! 
But their Lord did not ask that any of them might be made great, but 
that all might be kept, and be made one. God is love, and every one 
that loveth is born of God. God cannot make his creatures happy 
without teaching themes* to love each other. The Father answered 
his Son's petition, and knit the hearts of the apostles together in one. 
We read of no more contentions among them. During the time their 
Lord lay in his grave, they mingled their tears together ; when he ap- 
peared to them after his resurrection, they were assembled in one room ; 
and after he had ascended, they continued with one accord in prayers 
and supplications. 

It is the design of Jesus that all his people shall live together for- 
ever and ever. None of them could bear the idea of not dwelling with 

59 



466 CHRIST PRAYS FOR ALL [nov. 3. 

their Lord. They must, therefore, dwell together. It is sad to think 
that even true believers sometimes disagree when living for a little 
while beneath the same roof. Ah, did they but remember that they 
will live forever in their Father's house, they could never harbor one 
unkind thought. 

Jesus offered up another petition : " I pray not that thou shouldest 
take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from 
the evil." The disciples longed to be taken out of this world, now 
their Master was going to leave it ! But they had a great work to 
perform in it. They were to seek those that were lost, even as Jesns 
had sought them. It is natural for believers to desire to leave this 
world. He whom they love best has left it, and they long to be where 
he is. But what would become of the world, if all the servants of 
Christ were taken out of it ? The Sabbath would return, but no faith- 
ful minister would entreat sinners to flee from the wrath to come ; the 
Bible might be opened, but no pious friend would press the truth home 
upon the conscience of the heedless reader ; death would come, but 
none would point the departing soul to Christ, or, kneeling by his bed- 
side, would implore mercy in the last hour. 

Are there any who say, " I would cheerfully remain in this world, 
were it not for the sin that continually harasses me ?" Has the Holy 
Spirit taught you to hate sin ? Be comforted, the Saviour has prayed 
that you may be kept from this evil. He said, " I pray not that thou 
shouldest take them out of this world, but that thou shouldest keep 
them from the evil." Your desire was once expressed by a little child, 
when conversing with his playmates. The question was proposed, 
" What is the thing you wish for most?" Several children said they 
would like to have nice or pretty things. But when it came to the 
turn of this little boy of ten years old to speak, he said, " I wish to 
live without sinning." This was not a mere empty profession, for the 
child showed by his conduct that he hated sin. 

Evening Scripture portion. Rom. VIII. The believer's hatred of sin. 



John XVII. 20 to end. — Christ prays for all who shall believe on him. 

We esteem it a privilege to hear the prayers of eminent saints, es- 
pecially in their dying hours. How invaluable is the blessing we 
enjoy in possessing the record of this prayer of the Son of God ! The 
apostles must have listened to each sentence with the deepest interest. 
Their tears may have flowed fast while their Master was praying, but 
those tears must have been less bitter than before. What comfort it 



Nov. 3.] WHO SHALL BELIEVE ON HIM. 467 

must have given them to hear Jesus offer up this petition, " Father, I 
will that those whom thou hast given me be with me where I am !'' 
They desired earnestly to be with him. How grieved they were, when 
at the supper-table they heard him say, " Whither I go ye cannot 
come." Afterwards Jesus softened the hardness of the saying by tell- 
ing Peter, " Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now, but thou 
shalt follow me afterwards." Now they heard him pray that they 
might all be with him, and they saw plainly that he desired to have 
them with him. 

And was it for them alone he prayed ? No ; he has not left us in 
doubt on this subject. He said, " Neither pray I for these alone, but 
for them also which shall believe on me through their, word." When 
he uttered this petition, he had in his thoughts every creature who 
ever has believed in him — who ever shall believe in him ; not one so 
weak, so young, so mean, as to be forgotten. The little child who in 
dying should lisp, with loving heart, its Saviour's words, " Suffer little 
children to come unto me ;" — the diseased beggar w T ho, as he lay on 
his pallet, should exclaim with lively faith, " Come, Lord Jesus ;" — 
yes, even the condemned criminal, who on his way to the scaffold, 
with true penitence should smite on his breast and say, " Lord, be 
merciful to me a sinner ;" — each of these was remembered by the Son 
of God, when he said, " Neither pray I for these alone, but for them 
also which shall believe on me through their word." 

And does not each of us hope that he was included in this petition ? 
If we believe in Jesus, if we ever shall believe in him, we were in- 
cluded in it. And if he prayed for us then, he prays for us now ; for 
he has never ceased to intercede for all believers. If any one thinks 
in his heart, " What a comfort it would be to me to know that my 
Saviour prayed for me," let him ask himself this question, " Do I pray 
for myself?" All who believe in Jesus, pray to the Father in his 
name. They ask for the very things that he asked for. He said, 
"Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me 
where I am." Is this our desire ? — Is this our prayer ? Do we ever 
ask the Father to let us live forever with him, that we may behold the 
glory of Jesus ? There are many who desire to go to heaven that they 
may escape from pain and grief; but only those who believe in Jesus 
desire to behold his glory. And he desires that they shall behold it, 
and he prays that they may. Can His prayer be refused ? Impos- 
sible. When Jesus shall be seated on his throne of glory, and shall 
survey the vast multitude of the redeemed, he will know if any one 
of them is missing. He has loved each, he has died for each, he has 
prayed for each ; he could not forget one. He would not be satisfied, 
if one were absent. It may be that we have loved him but a little 
while, a few years, or only a few days ; but he loved us before the 
foundation of the world. Our prayers to him have been short, and 
ieeble ; but his prayers for us were offered up before we were born, 
and ever since we were born. While we sleep he prays ; and even 



468 THE REDEEMER'S AGONY IN THE GARDEN. [NOV. 4. 

when we sin he prays. " He ever liveth to make intercession for them 
that come unto God by him." 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. LXXXIX. The blessedness of the children of Christ. 



Luke XXII. 39-46. — The Redeemer's agony in the garden. 

Was there ever any sight, since the beginning of the world, so won- 
derful, so affecting, as the Prince of life passing through the valley of 
the shadow of death ! Can the angels have continued their songs 
during that awful night ? They were deeply interested in all that befell 
their beloved Lord. One of their number was sent from heaven to 
strengthen him. What must that honored angel have felt when he 
approached the earth, and beheld him who filled heaven with his glory, 
lying prostrate on the ground, and bathed in his own blood ! But did 
he attempt to persuade the Lord to renounce his purpose of saving 
man ? Did he say, " Why suffer so much for that polluted and apos- 
tate race ?" Ah, no ! he strengthened him. We cannot tell what 
words he spoke, but we may be sure they breathed love towards fallen 
man, and sympathy with his suffering Lord. Perhaps he spoke of the 
lake of fire, into which all men must sink if the Son of God should 
give up the work of redemption. Or perhaps he spoke of the joys 
redeemed saints shall taste through eternal ages, because he would 
persevere in his mighty undertaking. But, more than all, he must have 
spoken of the glory that would redound to God his Father, through 
the salvation of sinners. Hereafter we may know every particular 
concerning our Lord's last conflict. 

But do we ask what was the cause of our Saviour's agony ? Was 
it the fear of the bodily pangs of death ? Surely the Son of God pos- 
sessed more courage than man. Fear of bodily anguish could not have 
overwhelmed the Captain of the hosts of the Lord. He himself told 
his disciples the cause, when he said, " Hereafter I shall not talk much 
with you, for the prince of this world cometh." (John xiv. 30.) The 
cause of his sufferings was, the assault of the prince of darkness. 
Hell came to meet him in the garden of Gethsemane. Satan, who had 
been defeated in the wilderness, returned with his legions, to make a 
last attack. When Jesus sweat great drops of blood, he was strug- 
gling with principalities and powers. His foot was lifted up to crush 
the serpent's head, and his heel was in his jaws. His weapon of de- 
fence was prayer. Prayer was his sword, his shield, and his helmet. 

And why did the Father permit Satan to attack his well-beloved 
Son ? Because He had sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world ; 
therefore He laid upon him the iniquity of us all, and inflicted the 



NOV. 5.] THE DISCIPLES SLEEP INSTEAD OF WATCHING. 469 

punishment due to us all. Those who believe in Jesus can never 
suffer the punishment due to their sins, because Jesus has suffered.it 
in their stead. They may, they will suffer, but it will not be to atone 
for their sins. Jesus has atoned for them. Criminals cannot be pun- 
ished twice for the same offence : Jesus has suffered the punishment 
of all the sins of all his people. Their sufferings are not penalties, 
inflicted by a judge, but chastenings, bestowed by a father. When 
they pass through the valley of the shadow of death, Satan may as- 
sault them, but he cannot distress them as he distressed their Lord. 
Many believers have passed through that dark valley, singing as they 
went, and have expired almost without a struggle or a sigh. 

" Jesus can make a dying bed 
Feel soft as downy pillows are, 
While on his breast I lean my head, 
And breathe my life out sweetly there." 

Watts. 

But what will become of those who neglect this great salvation '? 
They will drink of the cup of wrath. What a cup it is ! " Deep 
and large : it containeth much." (Ez. xxiii. 32.) God says to the 
wicked, " Thou shalt even drink it, and suck it out." And why ? 
" Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast my words behind thy 
back." He is a wicked man who forgets the Saviour, and casts his 
promises of pardon behind his back. 

Evening Scripture portion. Heb. V. The prayers and tears of Christ. 



Matt. XXVI. 36-46. — The disciples sleep instead of watching. 

With what feelings the pious traveller now views the spot where 
his Saviour suffered excruciating pangs ! It lies just beyond the gates 
of Jerusalem, in a narrow and gloomy valley. The tall steep rocks on 
which the temple formerly stood shade one side of the vale, and the 
gentle sloping sides of Mount Olivet the other. The stream of Kedron 
flows between, though in summer its bed is dry. A bridge is placed 
over it, and a narrow path leads to Gethsemane. This garden covers 
about an acre of land, and is enclosed -by a low stone wall. Eight 
olive-trees may still be seen casting their broad shadows over that 
earth which once received the precious drops of the Saviour's blood. 
They are ancient trees of immense size ; their roots have burst the soil, 
and form resting-places for those who come here to sit and nuse. 
None who visit Gethsemane can wonder that the Saviour oft resorted 
thither, for it seems a meet place for meditation and for prayer. 

At the entrance of this garden the suffering Redeemer left eight of 



470 JUDAS BETRAYS HIS MASTER. [NOV. 6 

his apostles : the other three he chose as the witnesses of his agony. 
They were the three that had been the witnesses of his glory on the 
Mount of transfiguration. No doubt he had designed to prepare them 
by that enchanting sight for the awful scene of Gethsemane. Had 
they not beheld his countenance when it shone as the sun, their faith 
might have been shaken by the sight of his face marred with anguish, 
and bathed in blood. 

These apostles must have esteemed it an honor to accompany their 
Lord to his sorrowful retreat ; but this honor proved to be the occa- 
sion of their humiliation. Though they had said they would die with 
him, they failed to watch with their suffering Master, even for one 
hour. Three times he rose from prayer to rouse them from sleep. 
How gentle his reproof! " Could ye not watch with me one hour?" 
How wise his caution, " The spirit truly is willing, but the flesh is 
weak." He knew what sharp trials were coming upon them, therefore 
he said, " Pray that ye enter not into temptation." How often shall 
we find, when we look back upon our past lives, that we received 
warnings before we fell into sin. The remembrance of these warnings 
makes us feel that we are without excuse, and that we are guilty in 
the sight of God. 

What a precious opportunity these apostles lost of showing love to 
their Master by watching with him in the garden ! We never can 
enjoy such a privilege ; but though we cannot watch with Jesus him- 
self, we may watch with his suffering members. He will consider 
sympathy shown to them, as shown to himself. Among his people 
there are many in deep sorrow. Some are harassed by the sore temp- 
tations of Satan ; many are persecuted by wicked men, and many 
more are suffering under heavy bereavements and painful diseases, 
inflicted by the hand of God. With these let us watch ; with these 
let us sympathize ; with their infirmities let us be touched, and in their 
afflictions let us be afflicted. He who once said to Saul, when he 
'persecuted his people, " Why persecutest thou me ?" will say to those 
who comfort his people, " Thou hast watched with me." 

Evening Scripture portion. Psalm LXXXVIII. The desolation of Christ. 



Matt. XXVI. 47-50. — Judas betrays his Master. 

It is impossible to conceive a greater crime than Judas committed 
when he betrayed his Master. It would have been a cruel act to de- 
liver a stranger into the hands of his enemies ; but Judas betrayed the 
kindest Friend, and the most generous Benefactor. Had he commit- 
ted the deed openly, his sin would have been atrocious, but he did it 



NOV. 6.] JUDAS BETRAYS HIS MASTER. 471 

secretly, and even covered it with a veil of love. What could have 
induced him to fix upon a token of affection as the sign by which to 
point out his Master to his foes ? Did he hope to deceive his Lord 1 
Surely he must have known that he was already detected hy him : 
for when he had once dared to ask, " Is it I ?" Jesus had replied, 
" Thou hast said." But he may have hoped to deceive his fellow- 
apostles. He may not have heard his Master say to one of them, 
" He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray 
me." 

The Lord, however, would not suffer him to imagine he had es- 
caped detection. He said, " Friend, (or companion,) wherefore art 
thou come ? Why betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss ?" Did 
the Lord's gentle appeal melt his cruel heart ? Ono; that heart had 
already resisted the strongest expressions of divine love. Judas had 
seen the Lord of all, girded with a towel, bending low, and washing 
his disciples' feet. He had felt the touch of those sacred hands around 
his own feet, around those feet that had already been swift to shed in- 
nocent and precious blood. He had witnessed the trouble of his spirit, 
when he said, " One of you shall betray me." He who could resist 
such expressions of love, was past feeling. 

And did the Lord of glory suffer the traitor's lips to touch his holy 
cheeks ? Did heaven suffer hell to draw near, and God permit Satan 
to approach ? In this behavior, he set us an example of perfect pa- 
tience. No greater provocation can be conceived, than that which 
Judas gave to the Lord. Not one of us can presume to say that he 
ever received so great a provocation. When we feel disposed to think 
that any creature has treated us with unheard-of ingratitude, and in- 
conceivable treachery, let us remember Judas. 

There are some who behave to Jesus now He is in heaven, as Judas 
did when He was upon earth. When it seems to be their interest to 
appear to love him, they put on the mask of piety ; but when they can 
gain worldly advantages by betraying his servants, they will do it, and 
yet all the time continue to observe the forms of religion. They do 
not consider how much their guilt is increased by their acts of appa- 
rent devotion. God reproached Israel with similar hypocrisy, saying, 
" When they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the 
same day into my sanctuary to profane it." (Ez. xxiii. 39.) Satan 
employs such persons to do his darkest deeds. Let all who, while 
they hear the gospel, yet remain unconverted, fear, lest they should 
ever become hardened in wickedness, and be driven to commit ac- 
tions which they cannot now bear to think of. But if we love Christ, 
then we are sure we can never act the part of Judas. We may be 
tempted in some evil hour to forsake *ur Lord, yes, even to deny him, 
but we never shall, we never can, deliberately betray him. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. LV. The treachery of Judas. 






472 CHRIST'S ENEMIES FALL TO THE GROUND. [nov. 7. 



John XVIII. 1-9. — The enemies of Christ fall to the ground. 

How awful was the prospect that lay before the Saviour when he 
went forth to meet his enemies ! If we, before we passed through 
our light afflictions, knew all we should be called to endure, how often 
our minds would shrink back appalled ! After having experienced 
bitter sufferings, we feel that had we known beforehand their minute 
particulars, we should have been overwhelmed with the prospect. But 
Jesus knew every minute circumstance of his approaching sufferings. 
He knew the pangs each nail would give his feeble body, and the 
grief each scornful speech would create in his sensitive heart. And, 
above all, he knew the horror that the guilt of our sins would cause 
his spotless soul. He might have escaped from all these torments ; 
but he willingly gave himself up into the hands of his foes. 

At the words, " I am he," his enemies went backward and fell to 
the ground. " The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars ; the voice 
of the Lord shaketh the wilderness." (Ps. xxix.) The voice of Jesus, 
though so gentle that little children were not afraid to hear it, was so 
'powerful that it broke the strength of his stubborn foes, and shook 
their stout hearts. His disciples had once been cheered in the storm 
by hearing their Master say, " It is I ;" but his enemies were struck 
to the ground by the words, "I am he." There is an attractive power 
in the voice of Jesus. Those who love him feel it. When he says, 
" Come unto me," they draw near. There is also a repellent power in 
his voice. His enemies will feel it at the last day, when he shall 
utter the word " Depart." Then they will go backward, and fall into 
the pit of destruction. 

What must have been the feelings of the apostles, when they be- 
held their enemies fallen on the ground ! If they rejoiced for a mo- 
ment, they must have been the more disappointed to see them rise 
again. Yet even then they did not forsake their Master; they intended 
to cleave closely to his side through all his troubles. But he knew 
their weakness, though they did not : He knew they were not yet 
strong enough to confess his name before princes ; therefore he took 
the opportunity, when his enemies were scarcely recovered from their 
consternation, to make this request : " If ye seek me, let these go their 
way." The disciples cannot have understood the deep meaning of 
these words. When Jesus washed Peter's feet, he said, " What I do, 
thou knowest not now ; but thou shalt know hereafter." The dis- 
ciples knew afterwards that they were washed in the Saviours blood ; 
they also knew afterwards that Jesus was bound, that they might be 
forever free. If he had not surrendered himself to his enemies, we 
must have remained forever the prisoners of Satan. 

In the Saviour's last prayer with his disciples, he said to his Father, 
" Of them which thou gavest me, have I lost none." How did he 
preserve them ? By his love, his wisdom, and his power. Love alone 



NOV. 8.] PETER CUTS OFF THE SERVANT'S EAR. 473 

would not have been sufficient to keep them in safety. Jacob was a 
loving shepherd, but he acknowledged he had lost some of his flock ; 
for when defending his own character to Laban, he said, " That, which 
was torn of beasts I brought hot unto thee ; I bare the loss of it ; of 
my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by 
night." (Gen. xxxi. 39.) A human shepherd cannot preserve his flock 
from evil accidents. But Jesus had wisdom to foresee the approach 
of every enemy, and had power to secure his disciples from over- 
whelming temptations. At this moment he foresees all the tempta- 
tions that will assail us. Are we the sheep of his pasture ? Do we 
hear his voice, and follow him ? Then we shall be shielded from 
every fatal danger ; then we may say with the apostle Paul, " The 
Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto 
his heavenly kingdom." (2 Tim. iv. 18.) 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Ps. XXVII. XXVIII. The consternation of Christ's enemies. 



Matt. XXVI. 51-54.— Peter cuts off the ear of the high priest'' s 

servant. 

What must have been the dismay of the apostles, when they be- 
held their Master in the hands of his enemies ! We cannot wonder 
that one of them drew his sword to attack the high priest's servant. 
We might have conjectured that it was Peter who committed the rash 
deed ; but we are not left to uncertainty on this point. St. John in- 
forms us that it was Peter. Perhaps as the other evangelists wrote 
their gospels during the lifetime of that apostle, they were afraid of 
exposing him to danger by revealing his name ; whereas John, who 
(it is supposed) wrote his account after Peter's death, had no induce- 
ment to conceal it. 

It is evident that Peter had misunderstood his Lord, when at the 
supper-table he had heard him say, " He that hath no sword, let him 
sell his garment, and buy one." Had Jesus intended that his disciples 
should fight, he would not have reproved Peter's rashness by saying, 
" Put up again thy sword into his place ; for all they that take the 
sword shall perish by the sword." These words contained not only a 
reproof, but also a prophecy of the awful calamities that would befall 
the wicked men who were now wielding swords against their rightful 
king, the Son of God. No doubt Peter was astonished to find that his 
conduct was disapproved by his Master. He must have thought that 
Jesus would be pleased to see that, instead of forsaking and denying 
him, he was ready to fight for him against an armed multitude. When 
he had boasted of his fidelity, he little thought in what foi'm temnta- 

60 



474 CHRIST HEALS THE SERVANT'S EAR. [NOV. 9. 

tion would come upon him. The sight of the murderous band did not 
terrify him so much as the words of the maiden in the high priest's 
palace. 

God alone knows what circumstances would prove the most trying 
to each of us ; for He alone knows what is in each of our hearts. We 
may have surmounted some temptations that appear very great, and 
yet be overcome by others that seem less formidable. None are safe, 
but those who, putting no trust in their own hearts, wait continually on 
the Lord for light and strength. 

How useless were Peter's attempts to defend his Lord ! Had Jesus 
but spoken the word, each of his enemies had been the captive of a 
mighty angel, and he himself again seated upon his throne of light. 
Had he called upon his Father, more than seventy thousand angels 
had come flying to his rescue. Yet he forbore to speak the word. 
And why? He gave the reason — " How then shall the Scriptures be 
fulfilled, that thus it must be ?" His Father from the beginning had 
declared, that he would provide a sacrifice for the sins of men. To 
fulfil every word that his Father had spoken, was the glorious work of 
the Son of God. 

St. John records a most affecting expression that he used on this oc- 
casion : " The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink 
it?" Shall we be enabled in the day of our trouble to utter these 
words ? Yet if we are his children, the Father will never give us so 
bitter a cup to drink, as he gave to his well-beloved Son. That cup 
was bitter, because it contained his wrath against our sins. But every 
cup that God gives to his children now, is sweetened by his love ; for 
he has said, " As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten." No human 
mind can conceive what that cup contained which Jesus drank for our 
sakes. Lost spirits know its taste ; for it is written of them, " The 
same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out 
without mixture in the cup of his indignation." (Rev. xiv. 10.) But 
the redeemed shall never taste it. Has Jesus forgiven us our sins ? 
Then our cup may contain pain, or poverty, bereavement, imprison- 
ment, or death, but not one drop of the wrath of God. Let us take it 
thankfully from our Father's hand ; and though tears may stream 
down our cheeks, and sobs almost choke our voice, let us say, " The 
cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it ?" 

Evening Scripture portion. Rev. XIII. The sword. 



Luke XXII. 50-53. — Christ heals the servant's ear. 

It is remarkable that though all the four evangelists mention the cir- 
cumstance of Peter's cutting off the servant's ear, yet that St. Luke 



NOV. 9.] CHRIST HEALS THE SERVANT'S EAR. 475 

alone relates how it was healed. It seems that this miracle was the 
last the Saviour performed. In one respect it was the greatest. No 
doubt the Lord's power was more fully displayed when the dead were 
raised ; but his grace was most gloriously manifested -when his enemy 
was healed. Multitudes had often surrounded him, entreating him 
with piteous cries to restore their blind parents to sight, and their sick 
children to health. But this multitude came, not to entreat, but to 
assault. Yet the gracious Saviour healed even one of this wicked 
company. 

What effect had this merciful act upon the heart of Malchas ? Is 
it possible that he could join that night in the cry, " Crucify him !" 
that he could see with cruel joy the nails thrust through the hand that 
had touched his bleeding ear ? It is possible, though" we hope that 
Malchus was not guilty of such ingratitude. The heart of man is so 
hard by nature that no mercy can melt it. There are many now living 
who have received greater deliverances from the hand of God than Mal- 
chus, and who yet continue to rebel against their Saviour. Till the 
Holy Ghost softens the heart, man remains the enemy of God. 

How ungrateful were that multitude with whom Jesus had spent the 
last week of his life ! He seemed to feel their ingratitude when he 
said, " I was daily with you teaching in the temple." How can we 
account for the conduct of man towards the Redeemer ? The Scrip- 
tures reveal the secret. It was Satan who first set man against his best 
friend ; and it is Satan who still keeps up this enmity. Therefore 
Jesus said to his enemies, " This is your hour, and the power of dark- 
ness." As long as the heart is under the influence of Satan, it resists 
both the most awful judgments and the most melting mercies. The 
following fact is an instance of this truth. 

A young missionary, named Felix Carey, once resided in the Bur- 
mese empire. The viceroy who governed the province in which he 
dwelt, was remarkable for inflicting very barbarous punishments upon 
criminals who had committed very slight offences. On one occasion 
the missionary beheld a poor creature suspended to a cross by red-hot 
nails. Deeply touched with compassion, he went to the palace to 
plead for the release of the sufferer. Though he knew that the vice- 
roy had forbidden, on pain of death, intercession to be made for criminals, 
he was not deterred from pleading the cause of the unhappy man. At 
first he received a peremptory refusal ; but he continued to entreat, 
and even declared that he would not leave the palace till he had ob- 
tained the boon he craved. By importunity he prevailed. He received 
an order for the criminal's release. He hastened to the cross. The 
man had hung there seven hours, and when taken down had scarcely 
strength to thank his deliverer. The missionary took him to his own 
home, and nursed him with tender care. In a fortnight the wounded 
man was able to stand, and at length completely recovered. Did he 
attend to the instructions of his benefactor ? Did he devote his life to 
his service ? No, he even robbed the man who had risked his own 



476 A YOUNG MA.N FOLLOWS CHRIST. [nov. 10. 

life to save his. The agonies of a cross were not sufficient to root out 
the love of sin ; nor the tender compassion that had been shown him 
to plant the love of holiness in his heart. Can we suppose that the 
pains of hell will make lost spirits better than they were when first they 
entered their dark abode ? O no ; pain cannot change the heart. If 
God were to release those souls after a thousand years of suffering, 
they would still be unfit to join in the songs of heaven, and to stand in 
the presence of the Most Holy. How shall our evil hearts be made 
better? The Spirit of God, by applying the blood of Jesus, can take 
away all their hardness. The preaching of the Gospel cannot alone 
soften them. If it could, those whom Jesus daily taught, would not 
have conspired against him. Let us ask the Father for the Holy Spirit 
to convert us, if we are not converted ; and if we are, to make us 
know more of the love of Christ, and to live more to His glory. 

Evening Scripture portion. Judges II. Incorrigible wickedness. 



Mark XIV. 51-54. — A young man follows Christ. 

There are many who have become known to us only on account ot 
their having had something to do with Jesus. We should never have 
heard of this young man, if he had not followed him this terrible night. 
It was a moment never to be forgotten, when he heard the tumult, and 
determined to go and see what it was. It appears that he loved the 
Lord, and desired to be with him in the hour of danger and disgrace. 
But when the enemies laid hold of him his courage failed, and leaving 
his covering in their hands, he fled for his life. This circumstance 
gives us a lively idea of the terror that prevailed among the friends of 
Jesus. Those who had a little while before clung closely to his side, 
were now afraid to be known as his disciples. 

This was the case with Peter. He followed Jesus afar off — so far 
off, that he hoped none of the enemies would perceive that he was fol- 
lowing him at all. When he saw his Master enter into the palace of 
the high priest, it appears that he longed to enter also. But there was 
a damsel who kept the door, and she would not suffer strangers to 
pass. However, a way was opened for the entrance of this affection- 
ate disciple. Another disciple, who was known to the high priest, ob- 
tained leave to admit Peter. We know not who this man was. Some 
think it was John, because he alone mentions that it was through an- 
other disciple that Peter gained admission into the palace. Others 
suppose that none but a man of rank could have obtained so great a 
privilege for a stranger. Whoever it was, it is evident that he did not 
tell the doorkeeper that Peter was a disciple of Jesus. 

Had the apostle, when he ventured into the palace, known what a 



NOT. 11.] AN OFFICER STRIKES JESUS. 477 

crime he would commit within those walls, he would have shrunk back 
with horror. We cannot tell when we enter a place, whether we shall 
afterwards look back with sorrow or with joy upon our visit there. 
Any place where we have grievously sinned against the Lord must 
afterwards be regarded with mournful feelings. 

Was Peter wrong to enter the palace ? Had Peter gone there openly 
to defend or comfort his Master, his conduct would have been noble 
and courageous : but he went secretly to see the end. He endeavored 
to conceal who he was. This attempt prepared the way for his shame- 
ful fall. How could he sit by the fire, warming himself,, while his 
Master stood exposed to the insults of his enemies ! How was it that 
his sobs and tears did not betray who he was ? 

We are taught to pray, " Lord, lead us not into temptation." It is 
a dangerous thing to mix with the ungodly. Whenever duty calls us 
to enter their abodes, we should arm ourselves beforehand by earnest 
prayer. While we are among them we should keep watching and 
looking to Jesus for strength. Our conduct will soon show that we 
are his disciples. If the conversation turn upon worldly gayeties, Can 
we appear interested in it ? If a profane jest be made, can we join in 
the laugh ? If a servant of God be spoken against, can we refrain 
from defending his character ? And if the name of Jesus be blas- 
phemed, can we conceal our grief and indignation ? When Henry 
Martyn, the missionary, conversed with the learned men of Persia, he 
heard them blaspheme that holy name. * He could not conceal the an- 
guish that he felt. Even the heathens themselves, when they beheld 
it, were touched as well as astonished. They saw that he really 
loved Jesus. 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Cor. X. Temptation. 



John XVIII. 19-24. — An officer strikes Jesus with the palm of his 

hand. 

There are some acts of love done to the Son of God, recorded in 
the Scriptures to the everlasting honor of those who did them. We 
count her blessed who washed the Redeemer's feet with her tears ; 
and Mary also, who anointed his head with ointment ; and Joseph and 
Nicodemus, who wrapped his body in fine linen ; and the little com- 
pany of women who brought spices to the sepulchre. Even the man 
who lent him the ass on which he rode, and he who lent him the room 
in which he supped, acquired honor by these acts of kindness. 

But there are some deeds of malice recorded in Scripture, to the 
everlasting shame of those who perpetrated them. Such was the deed 
of the man who struck with the palm of his hand the Lord of glory. 



478 AN OFFICER STRIKES JESUS. [NOV. 11. 

Had Jesus been merely a common prisoner, it would have been ungen- 
erous to strike him when his hands were bound. But though the 
officer may not have known that he was the Son of God, he must have 
been aware that he was no common prisoner. He must have heard 
of his works of mercy and of power. What could have been his mo- 
tive for inflicting a profane blow ? Was it to please the high priest ? 
Caiaphas encouraged wickedness in his servants. He had given the 
counsel that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. 
He was accountable for all the injuries inflicted upon the Saviour from 
the time of his apprehension to the moment of his death, for he was 
the proposer of the whole scheme. But every one who had a share 
in those awful transactions will have to answer for their part, except 
they afterwards repented of their deeds. Some who with wicked 
hands slew the Saviour, were afterwards pricked in their heart at the 
preaching of Peter on the day of Pentecost. Who can tell bat that 
this officer was found among those penitents ? He may have washed 
his guilty hand as white as snow in the precious blood of the Lamb ; 
for that blood cleanseth from all sin. If so, with what anguish he 
must have looked back upon the insult he had once offered to the Son 
of God ! But if he never did repent, his daring act remains recorded, 
not only in the Scriptures, but also in the book of God's remembrance. 

Sinners have not now the opportunity of striking the Lord of glory : 
their puny arms cannot reach his exalted throne. But they can show 
their contempt and hatred by scoffing at his word, and persecuting his 
people. There are many insults offered every day to the Son of God. 
And why does he not avenge those insults ? Because his hands, 
though no longer bound with cord, are restrained by love. He is 
long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that 
all should come to repentance. 

Some persecutors have died rejoicing in those wicked deeds on 
account of which they were going to be eternally condemned. It is 
recorded of a Roman Catholic Bishop of London, named Stokesley, 
that on his death-bed he gloried in having assisted at the burning of 
fifty men, whom he called heretics, but whom we call martyrs. In 
the same awful state of mind the holy apostle Paul would have died, 
had not God shown mercy to him when a blasphemer, and a persecu- 
tor ; he would have died exulting in the recollection of the day when 
the blood of Stephen was shed, and when he was standing by con- 
senting unto his death : for at that time he thought he was doing God 
service by making havoc of his church. But, " the grace of the Lord 
was exceeding abundant with faith, and love which is in Christ Jesus." 
(1 Tim. i. 14.) Saul heard a voice from heaven, saying, " Why per- 
secutest thou me ?" It was the same voice that once had said on 
earth to another persecutor, " Why smitest thou me ?" The words 
from heaven were accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit, and 
they subdued the man, breathing out threatenings and slaughter. 
God has sometimes displayed his almighty power, not only in conquer 



NOV. 12.] THE FALSE WITNESSES. 479 

ing the most daring offenders, but in conquering them in their most 
daring moods. When their sins seemed to have reached the highest 
point, and to have broken out with the greatest violence, then his pow- 
erful hand has laid them low at the foot of the cross. 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Tim. I. Conversion of a persecutor. 



Matt. XXVI. 59-66.— The false witnesses. 

Those who are bent on doing evil often wish to keep up the appear- 
ance of good. The high priest did not say to his colleagues, " Let 
us condemn the prisoner untried." No : but he secretly sought false 
witness against him. When the world desire to injure a saint, they 
invent excuses for treating him ill, they encourage his enemies to 
speak against him, and they easily find some who will gratify their 
wishes. Though Jesus had spent his life in relieving the miserable, 
yet there were many willing to bear false witness against him. How 
then can the servants of God expect to escape the breath of slander ? 
God may sometimes see fit to preserve them from evil reports ; but 
generally he appoints them a share in the reproaches that fell on his 
well-beloved Son. 

It was difficult to find two false witnesses whose testimony agreed 
together ; and it was contrary to the Jewish law to condemn a pris- 
oner on that of one alone. At length two appeared whose testimony 
was accepted. They repeated words very much like some Jesus had 
really uttered, but they gave them a sense which he had never in- 
tended to convey, and therefore they are called "false witnesses." 

Those who attribute motives to others, without being able to prove 
what they say, are " false witnesses." It is a very common sin to bear 
false witness, and yet it is a very great one. It is the worst form of 
lying. It is mentioned in the ninth commandment, because it is the 
greatest sin of the kind. He who would bear false witness would tell 
any other lie. 

Who can but shudder at the thought of the guilt of these two false 
witnesses ! Ungrateful men ! they had heard the words of Jesus only 
to distort them, and to bring them against him in the hour of his sor- 
row. But the guilt of the high priest towers far above even their 
guilt. He displayed a show of justice, by appearing to grant Jesus an 
opportunity of defending himself. He said, " What is it which these 
witness against thee ?" But the divine prisoner held his peace, for he 
knew his condemnation was already determined. 

Had he refused to answer the next question, how much his enemies 
would have triumphed ! When the high priest said, " Tell me 
whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God ?" then the Lord declared 



480 THE SERVANTS INSULT CHRIST. [NOV. 13. 

plainly that he was. He would not suffer the shadow of a doubt to 
rest upon his divinity. He is equal with God. He and the Father 
are one. Jesus did not tell the wicked Caiaphas that he was come to 
die for him ; but he did tell him that he would come again to judge 
him. When he spoke of himself as Judge, he called himself the Son 
of man. It seems as if he would prepare Caiaphas for beholding that 
same human form that now stood bound before him, clothed with 
power, and enthroned in light. 

We have never seen Jesus. We cannot conceive how he looked 
when he was upon earth. But what will be the feelings of those who 
knew him and who hated him, when they see the face once so marred, 
shining with glorious lustre, and adorned with the diadem of the uni- 
verse ! 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. XXXV. False witnesses. 



Luke XXII. 63-65. — The servants of the High Priest insult Christ. 

The most remarkable night that has been known since the begin- 
ning of the world, was the night before the crucifixion of the Lord. 
It is written concerning the night on which the children of Israel left 
Egypt — that it is a night to be much observed to the Lord. But this 
night was far more memorable than the night of the Passover. Then 
all the first-born of Egypt were slain ; but now the first-born of God 
was betrayed, accused, condemned, and insulted. 

That was a memorable night, w r hen the angels appeared to the 
shepherds of Bethlehem, to announce the birth of the holy Babe. 
Then angels rejoiced, but now angels must have wept, if angels can 
weep. 

We are looking forward to another night, in which there will be 
both weeping and rejoicing. When the Son of God comes again, it 
will be night to half the inhabitants of the world. What terror some 
will feel, when the last trump rouses them from their slumbers ! 

Let us look back upon the transactions of that awful night which 
Jesus passed in the palace of the high priest. Human nature never 
displayed its deformity in a more glaring manner than at that season. 
Satan must have recognised in man every feature of his own character, 
and have seen that he was indeed his son. But insults could not de- 
grade the Son of God. Sin alone degrades. The grossest insults, 
borne with meekness, exalt, instead of degrading. How glorious the 
Son of God appears, surrounded, not by worshippers but tormentors ; 
yet bearing all their taunts with divine patience ! " When he was 
reviled, he reviled not again ; when he suffered, he threatened not, but 



NOV. 14. J PETER DENIES CHRIST. 481 

committed himself unto him that judgeth righteously," (1 Peter iii. 23.) 
He regarded every injury as a drop in the cup his Father had given 
him to drink. He knew the prophecies that had been made concerning 
his sufferings : " They shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon 
the cheek." (Micah v. 1.) 

" I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that 
plucked off the hair ; I hid not my face from shame and spitting." 
(Is. 1. 6.) 

Could we receive all that happened to us as the appointment, of God, 
we should not be so easily provoked as we often are. Yet the malice 
of our enemies could never be vented against us, except by the decree 
of God. l 

There was an ingenuity in the torments inflicted on Jesus, worthy 
of Satan, their author. Perhaps there was a burst of applause, when 
it was first proposed to blindfold those meek and sorrowful eyes, and 
no doubt a profane laugh was heard, as each blow was struck, and the 
question asked, " Who smote thee ?" How much astonished those 
men would have been, had Jesus told them who had smitten him ! 
They little thought how well he knew their names ; but they will find 
hereafter that he did know who struck him that night. Many other 
things blasphemously spake they against him, though only a few of 
their blasphemies are recorded as a specimen of the rest. 

When we think of the greatness of the Son of God, and then 
reflect upon the indignities he endured, the mind is filled with wonder. 
Though saints have been praising him, age after age, for the love he 
displayed in their redemption ; though their chorus is continually in- 
creasing, and though their song will never cease, yet sufficient honor 
can never be done to our crucified Saviour. 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. L. Insults offered to Christ. 



Mark XIV. 66 to end. — Peter denies Christ. 

Is there any one who loves the Lord, who has read Peter's history 
without trembling ? Who would have believed that so affectionate a 
disciple should prove so faithless in the hour of trial ! But man, even 
when renewed by divine grace, is liable to fall. Though his spirit is 
made willing to obey, the flesh still inclines him to sin. The apostle 
Paul declares, " For I delight in the law of God, after the inward 
man ; but I see another law in my members, warring against the law 
of my mindr (Rom. vii. 22, 23.) There is also a tempter always 
going about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 

The fall of Peter is related by all the four evangelists, and some 
peculiar circumstances are mentioned by each. 

61 



482 PETER DENIES CHRIST. [NOV. 14. 

The first denial was made while Peter stood by the fire, in the 
palace. The damsel who kept the door accused him of being a dis- 
ciple. Peter, taken by surprise, denied the fact. We know not what 
evil he feared, when he had recourse to this sinful means of escape ; 
— whether, he thought he should be turned out of the palace, and 
deprived of the opportunity of seeing the end, or whether he dreaded 
lest he should be apprehended, like his Master, and exposed to the 
same insults and injuries. It appears that several other persons, be- 
sides the doorkeeper, taxed him with having some connection with the 
holy prisoner; but he persisted in the lie he had already told. This 
was the first denial. 

Finding he was known, he withdrew into the porch, and then — the 
cock crew. But he attended not to this faithful monitor, nor did he 
even remember the Lord's warning. While in the porch, both a maid 
and a man recognised him, and this time he added an oath to his 
declaration. This was his second denial. 

Soon afterwards he returned into the palace, and was discovered, by 
his peculiar manner of speaking, to come from that part of Israel called 
Galilee ; and as it was well known that most of Christ's disciples were 
Galilasans, it was immediately supposed that he was one of them. On 
this occasion Peter not only denied his Lord, but he began to curse 
and to swear. He had now reached an awful pitch of iniquity. How 
much farther he might have gone, none but God knows. Again the 
cock crew. This time Peter understood the voice of the bird. And 
why ? Because at the same moment that the cock crew, the Lord 
turned and looked upon him. It is probable that Jesus was now 
standing among the servants, enduring their insults. His eyes had 
lately been blindfolded, his face smitten, and spit upon. That face, 
thus bruised and defiled, those eyes which had shed so many tears, 
were turned towards Peter. No wonder he could not bear the look. 
He went again into the porch, and wept bitterly. Then all the past 
was brought before his mind ; all the love that he had experienced, all 
the vows he had made, and all the base denials of which he had been 
guilty — all — all rushed to his remembrance. " And when he thought 
thereon, he wept." 

There are such moments in the believer's experience. Blessed 
moments ! in which he learns more of his own wickedness, and of his 
Lord's goodness, than he has learned in years that have gone before. 
Some actions, which he had never viewed in their true light, arc 
all at once seen to be dark offences against his gracious God. No 
tears shed for blasted prospects, or heavy bereavements, are as bitter 
as these. Yet even then he must not say, " There is no hope." Peter 
did not read in his Master's look, " There is no forgiveness for thee." 
How could he have lived during the next two days, had he despaired 
of pardon ! Had he been without hope, could he have run so eagerly 
to the tomb of his risen Lord, and even ventured to enter in ! It was 
the thought that he had sinned against a Saviour ready to forgive, that 



NOV; 15.] THE COUNCIL CONDEMN CHRIST. 483 

made his tears flow so abundantly.* It was the same thought that 
kept him from despair. His Saviour had once said, " I have prayed 
for thee that thy faith fail not." And it failed not. 

True penitence is a mixture of sorrow and faith. The penitent says 
with sorrow, " My sin is before me ;" and with faith, " There is for- 
giveness with thee." Such is the broken heart which God will not 
despise. Let this be our prayer : 

" If near the pit I rashly stray, 
Before I wholly fall away, 

The keen conviction dart : ' 
Recall me by that pitying look, 
That kind, upbraiding glance which broke 

Unfaithful Peter's heart." •' 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Cor. VII. True repentance. 



Luke XXII. 66 to end. — The council condemn Christ. 

It is probable that this examination is not the same as that of which 
St. Matthew gives an account. That examination seems to have taken 
place in the night, this in the day. It was a law among the Jews that 
no sentence pronounced in the night should stand good, and to this 
law Jeremiah is supposed to refer when he says, " Execute judgment 
in the morning." (xxi. 12.) Accordingly, the council assembled at 
the dawn of day to confirm the condemnation they had pronounced 
during the hours of darkness. This council was called the sanhe- 
drim. It consisted of seventy persons, of whom the high priest was 
the chief. The other members were priests, who had been high 
priests, or who were heads of the twenty-four courses : elders, or 
princes of the people ; and scribes, or men learned in the law. They 
were all persons whom the world revered. Priests who had a repu- 
tation for holiness ; elders who boasted of noble birth, and scribes who 
had acquired great learning ; all these combined against the Holy One, 
the Most High, the only wise God.f 

There were two members of that council who took no part in the 
proceedings of their brethren. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea 
were honorable counsellors and rulers in Israel. They were also dis- 
ciples of Jesus, though secretly, for fear of the Jews. It is probable 
that they were absent when the council met to condemn the Lord, or 
it present, it is certain that they did not unite in pronouncing the 
guilty sentence. 

* It is written in the margin, " He wept abundantly." 

t Some commentators think that allusion is made to these three classes in Zecli. xi. 8. 
" Three shepherds also I cut off in one month." 



484 THE DEATH OF JUDAS. [NOV. 16. 

As Jesus had already acknowledged himself to be the Son of God, 
no witnesses were summoned to appear against him. His own con- 
fession was enough. When he was asked, " Art thou the Christ. ?" 
he showed by his answer that he would have proved his claim, had his 
judges been willing to listen. He said, " If I tell you, ye will not be- 
lieve ; and if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go." 
On former occasions he had asked them various questions, by which 
he had shown he was the Christ, and that the Christ was the Son of 
God. This is the great truth that Jesus sealed with his own blood. 
By confessing it, men are saved, for St. John declares, " Whosoever 
shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and 
lie in God." By denying this truth men are lost ; for St. John also 
declares, " Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ .? 
He is anti-Christ" (that is, the enemy of Christ,) "that denieth the 
Father and the Son." Do we believe that. Jesus is the Christ, the Son 
of God ? If we believe it, we cannot feel indifferent on the subject. 
We may have believed some things, and yet we may now forget that 
we ever heard them ; or though we may still believe them, we should 
not be grieved if we discovered them to be false. But we cannot feel 
in this manner concerning the great truth that Jesus is the Son of God. 
Would it make no difference to a mother whether she believed that the 
ship containing her only son was lost at sea, or safely arrived in the 
harbor ? Would not every stranger by the first glance of her counte- 
nance discover which of these tidings she had heard ? Those who be- 
lieve that Jesus is the Son of God, believe that they have a friend 
dearer than the dearest child, and more powerful than the mightiest 
monarch, ever ready, ever able to succor them in time of need. They 
believe that he died to save them, and lives to bless them : that lie 
will walk with them through the valley of the shadow of death, and 
lead them forever by living fountains of waters. When they say, " I 
believe that Jesus is the Son of God," their hearts burn within them, 
and their spirits rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts VIII. Faith in the Son of God. 



Matt. XXVII. 3-10.— The death of Judas. 

Should we not have supposed, after reading how Judas betrayed 
his Master, that he was too much hardened ever to feel remorse ? 
But the conscience sometimes awakes when least expected ; for no 
one can lull it into so profound a sleep that it cannot be aroused. 
When Judas saw that his Master was condemned he repented himself. 
It seems then that he had hoped that the Lord would escape, as he 
had done on former occasions. But if he had escaped, would the 



NOV. 16.] THE DEATH OF JUDAS. 485 

crime of Judas have been less heinous ? The guilt of sin is not to be 
measured by its consequences. By what, then, is it to be measured ? 
By its motives. 

When Judas became conscious of his guilt, how did he act ? He 
went to the chief priests, confessed his crime, and rejected his bribe. 
Was not this all he could do? No; had he loved Jesus he would 
have done much more. He would have shed such tears as Peter shed. 
He would have been willing to live, bowed down with the remem- 
brance of his crimes, sooner than have added to his offences against 
his Lord, by putting an end to his own life. But he was a " devil." 
(John vi. 70.) Satan acknowledges that Jesus is the Holy One of 
God, and Judas did the same. But Satan does not loye him ; neither 
did Judas love the Master he betrayed, though he was forced by re- 
morse to declare his innocence. 

How awful must have been the expression of his countenance when 
he entered into the assembly of the chief priests to return the ill-gotten 
money ! How different from the look he wore when he came to offer 
to betray his Lord ! Then he felt satanic joy, and now satanic misery. 
His heart was full of despair, not of true repentance, when he said, "I 
have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood !" 

How much hearing this confession added to the guilt of the chief 
priests ! Could they believe that Jesus was a wicked man, when one 
of his most intimate companions declared to his own shame how excel- 
lent a Master he had betrayed ? Was it not that he might bear this 
testimony that Jesus had chosen him three years before to be an apostle ? 

But how did the priests receive the testimony ? They replied, 
" What is that to us ? see thou to that." In this way tempters treat 
their deluded victims. If a youth, who has been drawn into sin by 
artful companions, were to go to them and say, " See the misery you 
have brought upon me." What would they answer ? " See thou to 
that? They would regard his qualms of conscience as proofs of 
weakness and cowardice. What awful recriminations will be heard 
in the abode of despair among lost spirits ! With what bitterness 
will the tempted reproach their tempters, as the authors of their wo ! 

It seems that the priests could not entirely smother the voice of 
conscience in their bosoms, for they looked upon the thirty pieces of 
silver cast on the floor with abhorrence. They did not dare to return 
them to the treasury set apart for the expenses of the temple services, 
but determined to purchase with them a burying-ground for strangers. 
Perhaps they thought by this charitable deed to atone for their cruel 
treatment of an innocent person. They were not aware that they thus ful- 
filled a prophecy that had been made long before by the prophet Zechariah.* 

* It seems that by some mistake a writer who copied this gospel in early times, inserted 
the name of Jeremy instead of that of Zechariah. Such mistakes ought not to surprise, 
because we have no reason to expect that all who copied the Scriptures should be preserved 
from trifling errors. It is enough to know that all who wrote them were guarded from 
errors of every kind. 



486 CHRIST APPEARS BEFORE PILATE. [nov. 17. 

There was a piece of ground near Jerusalem called the potter's field. 
It is probable that the soil having been used for the manufacture of 
earthen vessels, had become unfit for cultivation, and could be ob- 
tained at a low price. At first it was set apart for the burial of those 
Gentiles who had embraced the Jewish religion, but who were consid- 
ered unworthy to be buried with the Jews. 

It is still a burying-place for Gentiles. The Armenian Christians 
have hired it of the Turks. The Holy Field (as it is now called) lies 
near the deep and gloomy valley at the south of Jerusalem. A square 
building, about twelve feet high, covers half this little plot of ground. 
Through the top, which is open, dead bodies are let down. Travel- 
lers who have looked into the building have seen the corpses lying be- 
neath in various stages of decay. The potter's field is the memorial 
of the low price at which the Saviour of the world was estimated. 
Those who behold the worthless plot may well exclaim, " He was 
despised and rejected of men." 

We know not what solitary spot Judas chose for the commission of 
his last crime. It seems probable that he fastened himself by a rope to 
a branch of a tree that overhung one of those precipices which abound 
near Jerusalem, and that the rope breaking by his weight, he fell into 
the vale beneath. There his body became a horrible spectacle, and a 
token to all who beheld it of the vengeance of God. 

On the same day that Judas died, Jesus died also. Nearly at the 
same time the betrayer and the betrayed entered into the presence of 
God. With what unutterable shame must Judas have seen his injured 
Lord received with joyful shouts by redeemed sinners ! The blood 
lie had caused to be shed never washed his own soul from its dark 
stains. While the penitent thief was ushered spotless into the pres- 
ence of the Most Holy, the despairing apostle was consigned, with all 
his guilt upon his head, to "his own place" (Acts i. 25.) It has been 
well observed* that they crossed each other on the path. One who 
just before had appeared to be going to hell, — went to heaven ; and 
another who once had appeared to be going to heaven, — went to 
hell! 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts I. The death of Judas. 



John XVIII. 28-38. — Christ appears before Pontius Pilate. 

We now behold the Saviour delivered by the Jews into the hands 
of the Gentiles. Pontius Pilate was a Gentile. Caesar, the Roman 
emperor, who had conquered the Jewish nation, had appointed Pon- 

* Dr. Bennet. 



NOV. 17.] CHRIST APPEARS BEFORE PILATE. 487 

tius Pilate to be their governor. It was he alone who had the power 
of sentencing any man to be put to death. On this account the chief 
priests and elders led their captive to his judgment-seat ; for no punish- 
ment less than death would satisfy their malice. Thus the saying of 
Jesus, signifying what death he should die, was brought to pass. Had 
the Jews put him to death, he would have been stoned ; but it was 
necessary that he should be crucified. As our sacrifice, he bore our 
curse. God has declared in his word, " Cursed is every one that 
hangeth on a tree." Thus Jesus, by hanging on a cross of wood, be- 
came a curse for us. (See Gal. iii.) 

But when the Jews brought their holy prisoner to Pilate, they re- 
fused to enter into the hall of judgment. And why?, Because they 
feared lest they should be defiled by entering into the dwelling of a 
Gentile, and that they should not be able to keep the passover ; for that 
feast was celebrated during a whole week, and many peace-offerings cf 
the herd and of the flock were eaten, besides the unleavened bread and 
Paschal Lamb. What must Pilate have thought of the Jewish reli- 
gion, when he saw these men. at once so much occupied with empty 
forms, and so much distorted with evil passions ! Many think ill of 
the Christian religion from the same cause. They see persons who 
would not on any account miss attending church or the sacrament, 
filled with envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness. The fault, 
however, is not in the religion, but in the hearts of its professors. 

As the Jews refused to enter into the judgment-hall, they were not 
present when Pilate examined their innocent victim. Thus the Lord 
enjoyed a short respite from their angry and noisy accusations. They 
had not told Pilate that Jesus said he was the Son of God, because 
they knew that such an accusation would not be regarded by a hea- 
then ; but they had accused him of making himself a king. 

The first question that Pilate asked the Lord was, " Art thou the 
king of the Jews ?" The holy prisoner did not refuse to answer the 
question. He made a good confession before Pontius Pilate, and ac- 
knowledged that he was a King. What an opportunity Pilate now 
enjoyed of hearing the truth to the saving of his soul ! Like the wo- 
man of Samaria, he was now conversing with a stranger who could 
teach him all things. The Lord was willing to answer his questions, 
and to enlighten his ignorance ; but Pilate was not willing to listen to 
his voice. He broke off the conversation abruptly. Though he 
asked, " What is truth ?" he did not wait for an answer. How unlike 
he was to the Samaritan, who left the Saviour only that she might call 
together the men of her city to hear his wonderful words ! Had Pilate 
acted as she did, he might have lost his monarch's favor, — he might 
have incurred the Jews' displeasure, — he might have forfeited his 
honors and even his life, but — he would have saved his soul. What 
must he now think of his conduct on that occasion ! A price was then 
put into his hand to buy wisdom, but he had no heart for it. Jesus 
knew this when he said to him, " Every one that is of the truth hear- 






488 CHRIST APPEARS BEFORE HEROD. [nov. 18. 

eth my voice." Pilate was not of the truth, therefore he did not hear 
his voice. 

Those only are of the truth who love the truth ; all others turn away 
their ears from hearing it. Multitudes have opportunities of hearing 
the truth, who will not hear it. Though conscience tells them, " This 
is the truth," they find excuses for neglecting it. They say, " I have 
no time," or, " I shall offend my relations," or " I shall injure my bu- 
siness," or " I am too young, too gay, and too happy ;" and they often 
end by saying, " It is too late" There was one who made this awful 
answer to the last messenger of mercy who approached his dying bed, 
" It is too late" 

Evening Scripture portion. Prov. VIII. Heavenly ivisdom. 



Luke XXIII. 4-12. — Christ appears before Herod. 

The Lord Jesus stood before the tribunals of four judges. Two of 
them were priests, Annas and Caiaphas ; and two were rulers, Pilate 
and Herod. Of Annas, we know nothing, except that he did not un- 
bind his sacred prisoner. For it is written, " Now Annas had sent 
him bound unto Caiaphas, the high priest." (John xviii. 24.) But of 
the other three we hear much. Though all of them were wicked men, 
they were not equally guilty, for they had not equal light, nor did 
they reach the same point in crime. Pilate was an ignorant heathen : 
Herod had been instructed by John the Baptist : Caiaphas had enjoyed 
frequent opportunities of hearing the Son of God himself; for his of- 
fice obliged him to spend the whole of every day at the temple, where 
the Lord taught so often, and wrought so many miracles. The hearts 
of these three men were set against the Saviour, just in proportion to 
their knowledge of his truth. Pilate knew nothing of the Lord, and 
he was desirous to release him. Herod knew something of him, and 
he cared not what became of him. Caiaphas knew much, and he was 
bent upon his destruction. It is not hearing of Christ that softens the 
heart, nor seeing him, nor listening to his own words. The Holy 
Spirit alone can make the wicked heart of man love the Saviour. We 
shall often find that those who have been religiously educated, and who 
have heard the gospel many years, are greater enemies to Christ than 
the ignorant world. 

But though Pilate did not hate Jesus, he had a share in his murder. 
Caiaphas accused him, — Herod made no effort to release him, and Pi- 
late condemned him. Each was actuated by different motives. Caia- 
phas was under the dominion of envy ; Herod was in a hardened, 
unbelieving, arrogant state of mind ; and Pilate was afraid of exasper- 
ating the Jews, and of incurring the displeasure of the Roman em- 



NOV. 19.] PILATE'S WIFE. 489 

peror. Soon all these wicked judges were hurled from their high 
seats, deprived of their shining honors, and plunged in deep disgrace. 
Herod and Pilate were banished to distant countries. The end of 
Caiaphas is not known. 

There was one circumstance in Herod's case which aggravated his 
guilt. He was once under religious impressions. There was a time 
when fee heard John gladly, and did many things that were right ; but 
there was a sin that he would not renounce. He refused to part with 
the wicked Herodias, his brother's wife. What was the consequence ? 
His good impressions wore off, and his heart grew harder- than before. 
He shut up John in prison, then beheaded him, and at last derided the 
Son of God. Behold him encouraging his soldiers in turning that 
blessed and sorrowful sufferer into ridicule ! Had he known who 
stood before him, he might have asked of him, and he might have 
obtained the pardon of his sins. The blood that Jesus shed could 
have washed his guilty hand and heart, even from the stains of the 
Baptist's blood. But he had smothered the reproaches of conscience, 
and brought himself to regard religion as a fable. Instead of being 
afraid of seeing Jesus, whose faithful servant he had murdered, he 
was exceedingly glad. But he will be exceedingly sorry the next 
time he beholds him ; for then he will find the awful threatening ful- 
filled, " I will laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear com 
eth." (Prov. i.) 

The case of Herod is not uncommon ; there are many who once 
received good impressions, and who once struggled with strong con- 
victions, who are now grown hard, scornful, and hostile. They would 
not obey the truth, and therefore they tried to disbelieve it, and they 
have succeeded. No sermons now make them tremble, no afflictions 
now touch their hearts ; they are steeled against warnings and per- 
suasions, against mercies and judgments. We earnestly hope that 
there is no one among us in this hardened state. But if there are any 
who are now resisting the convictions of conscience, who can tell how 
hard their hearts may become ! 

Evening Scripture portion. Heb. III. The danger of unbelief. 



Matt. XXVII. 15-19.— Pilate's wife. 

Pilate felt reluctant to condemn Christ. He resorted to various 
expedients in order to save himself from passing the unjust sentence. 
He sent Jesus to Herod ; but Herod sent him back. He next ap- 
pealed to the people. He knew that it was envy of the people's 
attachment to their favorite teacher, that had caused the priests to de- 

62 



490 PILATE'S WIFE. [jNOV. 1 

liver him up. Therefore he hoped that the people would demand Ids 
release, in preference to that of the notorious robber, called Barabbas. 
But why did not Pilate, instead of resorting to these expedients, sim- 
ply and boldly say, " I will not condemn an innocent man ?" He had 
not courage to face the opposition of the Jews ; therefore he endeav- 
ored to slip out of his difficulties. Have we never acted in a similar 
manner ? When convinced that it was our duty without delayto take 
a certain step, have we never thought, " I will wait, in hopes that some 
circumstance may arise to save me from this trial ?" But God usually 
defeats these plans, and brings us into such a position that we must 
take a decided part, either for good or evil. 

Pilate was in a state of great perplexity, when a message arrived 
that increased his trouble. His wife sent unto him, saying, " Have 
thou nothing to do with this just man, for I have suffered many things 
in a dream because of him." This message was a merciful warning 
from God to deter him from committing the crime to which he was 
tempted. 

It is not recorded that any woman took part against the Lord while 
he was on earth. There was no Herodias to promote his death, 
though there was one to ask for the head of John the Baptist. In this 
appointment, we can trace the mercy of God to woman. Eve, by her 
counsels to her husband, ruined the world. This circumstance cast 
a deep shade upon the character of woman. Pilate's wife, by her 
counsels, endeavored to save her husband from sharing in the world's 
greatest crime. It is remarkable that Pilate's wife should be favored 
by a dream from heaven, for in all probability she was a heathen ; but 
God often works in the minds of those who know him very imperfectly. 

There are many dreams which are not worthy of regard ; they come 
(Solomon says, Eccles. v. 3) through the multitude of business, and 
are full of confusion and impossibilities. But the dream of Pilate's 
wife was of a different kind. It was sent by God to instruct her 
ignorance and to awaken her fears. She suffered many things in her 
dream ; we know not what things ; but they were terrible, and they 
were all connected with a just man then standing before her husband's 
tribunal. What must have been her feelings, when she found her 
message had been disregarded, and that the Just One was condemned ! 
When the darkness overspread the earth at noon, she must have sus- 
pected its cause. We should like to know whether she ever truly be- 
lieved in the Saviour, or whether her alarm passed away without ma- 
king any saving impression on her soul. Did she afterwards hear the 
preaching of the apostles ? We know not. Her history is not related 
in the Scriptures. The only event of her life that is recorded, leads 
us to hope that she found mercy. It was her privilege on earth to 
plead in behalf of the slandered Saviour, when, with the exception of a 
few disciples, the world were combined against him. We hope it is 
her blessed portion to worship him in heaven, amidst countless adoring 
hosts. She suffered many things in a dream because of him; we 



NOV. 20.] BARABBAS. 491 

hope that she now knows that he suffered many more things on a cross 
for her sins. 

Evening Scripture portion. Rev. VI. Martyrs and 'persecutors. 






Matt. XXVII. 20-25. — The multitude prefer Barabbas to Christ. 

What guilt there was in the short answer the people made to Pi- 
late's inquiry ! " Barabbas." It was the name of si murderer ; yet 
they preferred that murderer to him who came to give life unto the 
world. It was not one man only who made this wicked choice, but a 
whole multitude. Is not this a proof that the heart of man is desper- 
ately wicked ? The most lovely of all Beings clothed himself in a 
human form, and a whole multitude preferred a murderer before, him. 
Could we have seen the meek and holy countenance of the Son of 
God, and then have beheld the degraded, abject, brutal looks of the 
wicked Barabbas, we should have said, " It is impossible that men 
can prefer that vile criminal to the righteous Saviour." Did any of the 
blind whom Jesus had restored to sight join in the cry, " Not this man, 
but Barabbas ?" Did any tongue that he had loosed exclaim, " Let 
him be crucified ?" We hope that no such act of ingratitude was com- 
mitted ; we hope that Bartimeus was weeping in some secret place, 
as well as the women who had followed him to Jerusalem. But when 
we consider what numerous miracles Jesus had wrought in the temple, 
we must conclude that many of the multitude had received great bene- 
fits from his gracious hands. How many helpless parents, and droop- 
ing children, had been restored by Him to health and joy ! but all his 
mercies were now forgotten, and only the crimes of which he was ac- 
cused were remembered. What is man ? Changeable, base, ungrate- 
ful. Judas preferred thirty pieces of silver to his divine Master ; the 
multitude a murderer to their Benefactor ! 

Pilate was astonished at the mad violence of the people. He feared 
to resist their clamor, lest his own life should fall a sacrifice to their 
fury ; yet he was so deeply impressed with a sense of the injustice of 
the deed he was going to commit, that he took water, and washed his 
hands before them all, saying, " I am innocent of the blood of this 
just person ; see ye to it." But could that water cleanse his hands 
from guilt ? O no. Pilate had power to release the prisoner ; he was 
bound to exert that power. It was not sufficient for him to bear his 
testimony against evil. Pilate's wife could do no more than lift up her 
feeble voice on behalf of the innocent ; but Pilate could have said. 
" I will defend him with the last drop of my blood." How blessed 
would he then have been, though he had been torn to pieces by the 



492 THE BAND OF SOLDIERS MOCK CHRIST. [nov. 21 : 

exasperated multitude ! That day he would have been with Jesus in 
Paradise. 

Who can hear, without a thrill of horror, the curse which the Jew- 
ish nation invoked on their own heads, when they answered, " His 
blood be on us, and on our children !" They intended to say, " If he 
be innocent, we will bear the guilt of his murder ; but we are sure 
that he is not innocent." God heard the awful words. Forty years 
afterwards, the Romans conquered Jerusalem. Blood then flowed in 
such torrents through the streets, that it extinguished many a burning 
pile ; and crosses were erected in such numbers around the walls, that 
there was no more room in which to place them, nor wood of which 
to construct them. But who could have thought, that in that horrible 
curse a blessing also was contained ! They cried, " His blood be upon 
us ;" but the Saviour interceded, that it might wash them from their 
sins. A time shall come, when that precious blood shall wash the 
whole nation from their iniquities ; and " so all Israel shall be saved." 
(Rom. xi. 26.) 

To every soul who hears the gospel, the blood of Jesus shall prove 
either a curse or a blessing. It must be upon us, either to increase 
our guilt, or to wash it away. Let us not be satisfied with thinking, 
" How wicked the Jews were to shed that blood !" It was shed that 
we might wash, and be clean. Jesus lives to wash with his own hands 
those for whom he shed his own blood. The apostle John says, 
" Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own 
blood." (Rev. i.) Let every sinner come to this Saviour, and bathe 
in this fountain. Let each learn to say, 

" My Saviour died upon the tree, 

And sank for me beneath the flood ; 
My sins are cast into this sea, 

Of love, of sorrows, and of blood." 

Hymn 283. Collection by Rev. J. H. Evans 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Psalm CIX. Curses denounced on Christ's enemies. 



Matt. XXVII. 26-30. — The band of soldiers mock Christ. 

Barabbas was released, and Jesus was delivered up to be crucified. 
We know nothing of the future history of Barabbas. We know not 
whether he ever believed in him, who was led to execution, when he 
himself was permitted to live. But there have been some as guilty as 
Barabbas, who have believed ; and they have felt that if Jesus had not 
been crucified, they would never have been released from the ever- 
lasting prison-house of sin and death. 



NOV. 21. J THE BAND OF SOLDIERS MOCK CHRIST. 493 

Before Jesus was crucified, he was scourged. It was the custom to 
treat criminals in this barbarous manner. The scourge was a sharp 
and torturing instrument, frequently composed of the nerves of oxen, 
and the bones of sheep. The poor sufferer was fastened to a post, 
with his hands tied behind him, while the executioners, with all their 
might, covered his whole body with their cruel strokes. Amongst the 
Jews there was a law forbidding more than forty strokes to be inflicted 
at one time ; but amongst the Romans there was no such law. We 
know not how many strokes lacerated the sacred flesh of our Divine 
Lord. It was then that he meekly "gave his back to the smiters." 
(Is. 1. 6.) It was then that the plowers plowed on his back, and made 
long their furrows. (Ps. cxxix. 3.) But there was a healing virtue in 
those stripes. The blood that flowed from those wounds, heals the 
wounds of sin in the human heart. It is written, " With his stripes 
we are healed." It is indeed wonderful that stripes should heal. But 
those who are harassed by the remembrance of past sins, may find 
that the stripes of Jesus can restore peace to their souls. The inno- 
cent Lamb of God was wounded in our stead, and if we believe in 
him, we shall be healed. 

No pity was awakened in the hearts of the Roman soldiers, by the 
sight of the Redeemer's sufferings. After the scourging was over, 
Jesus was taken back into the magnificent hall of Pilate, and was sur- 
rounded by the whole band of soldiers, in number at least six hundred. 
This was the third time that he had been publicly mocked. The ser- 
vants of the high priest had derided his wisdom. Herod, with his men 
of war, had mocked his innocence, by clothing him in a white, or gor- 
geous robe ; and now Pilate's soldiers scoffed at his royal dignity, by 
clothing him in a scarlet robe, and adorning him with a crown of 
thorns. The soldiers themselves had platted this crown.' They had 
taken some twigs of a plant that bore spikes, and, with the ingenuity 
of fiends, had contrived to give pain to their victim, while they in- 
dulged their own mirth. Some of the faithful followers of Jesus have 
thought of this crown while enduring the same kind of sufferings. 
When a crown, not made of thorns, but of paper, and painted with 
the figures of three devils, was placed on the head of the martyr, John 
Huss, he said, "I am glad to wear this crown of ignominy, for the 
sake of him who wore a crown of thorns." He felt that the Saviour's 
torments were sharper than his own ; he felt, also, that it was for his 
sake that the thorns pierced the Saviour's brow. Yes ! It was for us 
that Jesus wore a crown of thorns. No evil thought had ever pro- 
ceeded from his divine mind. It was to atone for our offences that the 
blood trickled down his sacred cheeks. He who suffered all these 
pangs, and bore all these insults, was God, the God who made us, 
who gives us breath, who upholds the worlds ! What must sin be to 
require such an atonement ! It must be infinitely evil. And what 
must Jesus be, to be willing to offer this atonement ! He must be in- 
finitely good. The day is coming, when he will appear adorned with 



494 PILATE SHOWS CHRIST TO THE JEWS. [NOV. 22. 

many crowns, but not one of them composed of thorns. Then every 
knee shall bow to him, not in cruel mockery, but with deep awe, and 
call him Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. CXXIX. CXXX. The stripes of Jesus. 



John XIX. 4-9. — Pilate shoios Christ in his royal robes to the Jews. 

The Jews did not witness the torments Jesus suffered among the 
soldiers, because they would not enter into the judgment-hall. It 
would have gratified their malice had they seen the profane scoffers 
bending their knees in pretended homage. When Pilate beheld the 
bleeding sufferer, he hoped that the sight would melt the hearts of his 
enemies, and therefore he brought him forth into the open place and 
said, " Behold the man." Can we conceive the appearance of the 
Man Christ Jesus at this moment ? We know that he wore over his 
shoulders a robe of purple and scarlet, and a crown of thorns upon his 
head. We may form some idea of his weak frame, bowed down with 
the anguish of the scourge, and of his sorrowful features, suffused with 
blood ; but we cannot imagine the holy and subdued expression of his 
countenance. No sinful feeling had ever clouded his brow, or ruffled 
one feature of his face ; sorrow alone had marred that sacred visage. 

But the sight of their mangled victim did not touch the cruel hearts 
of the Jews. They cried out, " Crucify him, crucify him." Then 
Pilate said, " Take ye him, and crucify him." His object was not to 
shield the sufferer, but himself. If he could avoid having any hand in 
the deed, he was willing to allow it to be done. Pilate was a selfish 
and unrighteous man. He felt no generous concern for the innocent; 
though fear impelled him to plead in his behalf. 

This fear was increased when the Jews cried out, " He made him- 
self the Son of God." It now flashed across Pilate's mind that this 
extraordinary man might really be a divine person. He desired to 
speak with him again in the judgment-hall. What a question he pro- 
posed when he said to the Son of God, "Whence art thou?" How 
astonished Pilate would have been had his injured prisoner described 
the glories of the place whence he came ! But he would not even 
answer the question. And why not ? On a former occasion he had 
answered some of Pilate's important inquiries ; but since then his un- 
righteous judge had done violence to his own conscience, and had re- 
sisted the warning sent in a dream. He had commanded the innocent 
to be scourged, and had suffered him to be tormented by a barbarous 
crew. Those who shut their eyes to the light, will soon find that light 
begin to wane. When we will not attend to the voice of conscience, 



NOV. 23.] PILATE DELIVERS UP CHRIST. 495 

or to the warnings of God, we must expect to be left to pursue the 
way of destruction. . 

1 It was a sign that God was angry with Pilate when Jesus forbore 
to tell him whence he was. He had told his disciples that he was 
with the Father, and that he came into the world. It is the thought 
of his original greatness that makes his abasement so wonderful. If 
we read the first chapter of Genesis, containing an account of the 
Creation, and then read the nineteenth chapter of John, describing the 
Crucifixion, we must be amazed to behold the same Being performing 
so vast a work, and then enduring such deep humiliation. 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. LII. The visage marred. 



John XIX. 10-16. — Pilate delivers up Christ to be crucified. 

These were Pilate's last efforts to obtain the release of his prisoner. 
We must feel compassion for this wretched governor, as he runs to and 
fro, seeking some new mode to extricate himself from his difficulty. 
The path to true happiness and everlasting glory lay open before him, 
but he had no heart to walk in it. He threw away the golden oppor- 
tunity that was presented to him of defending the most glorious of 
Beings, placed for a season beneath the shelter of his arm. 

How base and how absurd was his arrogant boast — " Knowest thou 
not that I have power to crucify thee, and power to release thee." 
The Lord in his answer gave him a lesson calculated to humble his 
proud spirit. " Thou couldest have no power at all against me, ex- 
cept it were given thee from above.'''' To this humiliating declaration 
he added a solemn warning, " He that delivered me unto thee hath 
the greater sin." Then Pilate had some sin. He who was counted 
as a criminal accused his judge of sin ! That judge was compelled 
to say of his prisoner, " I find no fault in him." But the reputed 
criminal found great fault in his judge. Yet not the greatest. The 
high priest, who had delivered him up to Pilate, had the greater sin. 
There are then degrees of sin. Why was the high priest more guilty 
than Pilate ? Because he had gone out of his way to destroy Jesus, 
whereas Pilate had been called to pronounce sentence in the regular 
execution of the office to which he " was ordained of God." (Rom. 
xiii. 1.) There were many other circumstances that increased the sin 
of Caiaphas ; his knowledge of the Scriptures, his malicious motives, 
and his false accusations. God knows all the aggravating circum- 
stances of our sins, and all the palliating circumstances also. He 
estimates our temptations, and forms an exact judgment of our degree 
of guilt. When we run to meet temptation, we are more guilty than 
when we yield to a temptation that overtakes us. But even then we 



496 SIMON BEARS THE CROSS. [nov. 24. 

are guilty. There is a way of escape for every tempted person. No 
creature is so hemmed in by temptations, that he could not escape, if 
he were to look to God for aid. For we have this promise, " God is* 
faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able ; 
but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may 
be able to bear it." (1 Cor. x. 13.) 

Pilate might have escaped from all his perplexities ; but instead of 
escaping, he became each moment more entangled in the net. It is 
melancholy to view him making his last struggle against his fatal 
temptation. He left the judgment-hall accompanied by his prisoner, 
and took his seat on the " Pavement." It is supposed this was a cov- 
ered balcony, the floor of which being covered with Mosaic work, it 
acquired the name of the Pavement. From this high seat he appealed 
for the last time to the furious multitude, saying, " Shall I crucify 
your King?" The reply was, "We have no king but Caesar." Then 
Pilate gave up his innocent victim, and the soldiers took him and led 
him away. What must have been the feelings of the unjust governor, 
as he beheld the enemies rejoicing over their prey ! Can the events of 
that day have ceased to haunt him during the remainder of his life? 
But his calamity was near to come, and his affliction hasted fast. 
(Jer. xlviii. 16.) Two years afterwards he lost the favor of the em- 
peror, and was banished into a distant, province, where, it is said, he 
put an end to his own life. It is to be feared that it would have been 
good for him if he had never worn a royal robe — if he had never seen 
the Son of God. 

Evenirg Scripture portion. Is. LIX. Judgments on Christ's enemies. 



Mark XV. 20, 21. — Simon bears the cross. 

We have entered upon a new scene in our Lord's sufferings. Be- 
hold him now on his way to Calvary, the place of his crucifixion ! The 
evening before had been spent in the upper room at Jerusalem, — the 
night in the garden at Gethsemane, and in the palace of the high 
priest, — and the early morning in the judgment-hall of Pilate. What 
a variety of sorrows had he undergone in these places ! At the supper 
table and in the garden his soul was troubled — in the palace and the 
judgment-hall his body was buffeted, spit upon, and wounded. 

Before he sat out on his last painful journey, the royal robe was 
taken from his shoulders, and his own garments placed upon them ; 
but we do not know whether the crown of thorns was removed from 
his bleeding brows. It is probable that the cruel soldiers suffered that 



NOV. 24.] SIMON BEARS THE CROSS. 497 

instrument of torture to remain. They little knew that it was the 
badge of his real dignity. 

" And he, bearing his cross, went forth." (John xix. 47.) The Jews 
were accustomed to see criminals laden with their crosses, going to the 
place of execution, and generally offered the grossest insults to the 
unhappy sufferers as they proceeded on their way. There can be no 
doubt that the soldiers who had before tormented Jesus, now pursued 
him with unrelenting barbarity. But it seems they found their victim 
could scarcely move beneath his painful load. Fastings and watchings, 
prayers and tears, had dried up the strength of the Son of Man. He 
was now in the state which David described in Ps. cii. 5. " By rea- 
son of the voice of my groaning, my bones cleave to my skin." 

But would the soldiers help him to carry his heavy cross ? No ; it 
was too shameful a burden for them to bear, or even to touch. 

At this moment they met a man named Simon, a native of Africa, 
(the land of accursed Ham.) " Him they compelled to bear his cross." 
We cannot be certain that Simon was unwilling to bear it, for the 
choice was not given to him. The soldiers commanded him to do .this 
public service. Whether Simon was an enemy or a friend to the Sa- 
viour, or altogether a stranger to his name and character, we know 
not. It is evident, however, that he had not joined in the cry of 
" Crucify him, crucify him," for he was coming out of the country, as 
Jesus was leaving the city. 

At the time it was thought a degrading office to bear the cross of the 
despised Jesus ; but afterwards it was regarded as a distinguished 
honor. The sons of Simon were known as the sons of the man who 
bare the Redeemer's cross. Simon himself will never be forgotten, 
because he was the Saviours cross-bearer. How many angels in 
heaven would joyfully have taken his place, if they could have ob- 
tained permission ! We may believe that there were some on earth 
who would, if they might, have borne their Lord's burden, and shared 
his reproach. Would not the women who followed him weeping, 
gladly have succored him ? And Peter, too, now lamenting his base 
denial, — and the loving John, would not they have helped to bear the 
cross, had not the fear of the brutal soldiers and malicious priests kept 
them at a distance ! Do we think we should have been desirous to 
occupy Simon's place ? 

Though our Lord is not now fainting beneath the weight of his cross, 
his name is still despised, and his people persecuted. He delights to 
see us willing to bear shame for his sake. Some have humbled them- 
selves to the very dust that they might please him. Dober, the Mora- 
vian missionary, intended to sell himself for a slave, that he might 
teach the negroes the way of salvation. Circumstances prevented 
him fulfilling his intention; but if he had, would he have c'egraded 
himself? To bear the cross of Jesus, and to share his reproach, is 
reckoned in heaven more honorable than to govern kingdoms, or to 
discover worlds. Whether Simon knew it or not, no monarch on his 

63 



498 THE WEEPING WOMEN. [nov. 25. 

throne occupied a place of such distinction as he did when bearing the 
cross of the Nazarene. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. CII. The weakness of Christ' i 



Luke XXIII. 27-31. — The weeping women. 

Though so many insulted our Lord in his last hours, yet a great 
company bewailed him. This troop was composed chiefly of women. 
Apostles had been afraid to let it be known that they belonged to 
Jesus, but these women were not afraid to let their tears be seen. 

Apostles had failed to watch with him one hour ; but these women, 
unasked, accompanied him on his way to the cross. 

Jesus valued sympathy. He condescended to notice these mourn- 
ers. He turned and spoke to them. What a moment it was when 
their Saviour's failing eyes rested upon them ! How eagerly they 
must have listened to his words, fearing they were the last they should 
ever hear from his lips. 

He knew how soon his sufferings would be over, and how great the 
joy that would follow; therefore he said, "Weep not forme." He 
also knew what long and bitter woes were coming upon the Jewish 
nation ; therefore he said to the women, " Weep for yourselves and 
for your children." Perhaps some of those little children who had 
sung his praises in the temple now accompanied their mothers, and 
wept with them. It grieved the Saviour's compassionate heart to 
think of the sorrows that awaited them, as well as their parents ; for 
he knew the future history of each person in the company. When 
children are born into prosperous families they are welcomed as bless- 
ings, but they were regarded as curses in the horrors of the siege of 
Jerusalem. Nothing can give us an idea of greater misery than the 
cry, " Fall on us," addressed to hills and mountains. Such misery 
the Jews began to endure, when, forty years after the crucifixion of 
their king, the Romans besieged their city. 

What is the meaning of the words, " If they do these things in a 
green tree, what shall be done in the dry /" In the prophet Ezekiel 
there is a little parable, in which the Jewish nation is compared to a 
forest, and the anger of God to afire. (Ezek. xx. 47.) A fire quickly 
destroys dry trees, but green trees less easily. Dry trees represent 
the wicked, who are prepared for destruction ; green trees the righte- 
ous. God gives this explanation of Ezekiel's parable : " Say to the 
land of Israel, Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword 
out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the 
wicked." (Ezek. xxi. 3.) When Jesus, therefore, spoke of a green 
tree, he meant himself ; and when he spoke of a dry tree, his enemies 



NOV. 26.] GOLGOTHA. 499 

This seems to be the explanation of his words. " If they (that is, the 
Romans) treat me who am innocent so cruelly, what will be done to 
the guilty !" 

Bat why did Jesus speak of these calamities to the weeping women ? 
Did he desire to wound those hearts already bleeding with sorrow for 
his sufferings ? No ; but in his mercy he gave a last warning to his 
enemies. A pious father, before he leaves this world, if he be able, 
summons all his children around his dying bed, and while he comforts 
some, he warns others of approaching judgments. His wo^ds, un- 
heeded before, often sink deep into the heart at this solemn season. 
The dying Saviour longed to save his enemies from impending de- 
struction. He had often warned them in the temple, and they would 
not hear ; now he warns them on his way to Calvary. But are the 
Jews the only people who will ever say to the mountains, " Fall on 
us ?" Not so ; all in every age, of every nation, of every rank, who 
have not believed in the crucified Saviour, will be filled with terror 
when they see him coming in the clouds of heaven. If now we will 
say to Jesus, " Pardon us," we shall never say to the mountains, "Fall 
on us." 

Evening Scripture portion. Lam. II. The sorrows of Jerusalem. 



Matt. XXVII. 33, 34.— Golgotha. 

At length the drooping Saviour arrived at the spot appointed for his 
crucifixion, — Golgotha, or the place of a skull. It is supposed that 
near it were caverns filled with the bones of crucified malefactors. 
Such places were detested by the Jews, who were forbidden to enter 
the temple if they had touched a dead body. This was the loathsome 
spot on which the innocent Lamb of God was to be sacrificed for the 
sins of men. 

But there was a hidden reason why God led men to select this pol- 
luted place for the Redeemer's execution. He had commanded the 
High Priest, once a year, to sprinkle the blood of a bullock and of a 
goat upon the mercy-seat in the Holiest of Holies, to make atonement 
for sin. The bodies of these beasts were taken to a place outside the 
camp, or city, and burned. Their blood represented the precious blood 
of Christ, which pleads for us in the presence of God. Because his 
blood atones for sin, therefore his body was taken to a loathsome spot 
outside the city of Jerusalem. This divine mystery is explained in the 
Epistle to the Hebrews, (xiii. 11, 12.) " For the bodies of those beasts 
whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the High Priest for sin, 
are burned without the camp; wherefore Jesus also, that he might 
sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate." 



500 THE CRUCIFIXION. [NOV. 27 

Before he was crucified, the soldiers gave him vinegar mingled with 
gall, a bitter draught, which he just tasted, and then refused to drink. 
In the gospel of St. Mark it is written, (xv. 23,) " And they gave him 
to drink wine mingled with myrrh, and he received it not." Was 
this cup of wine, the same as the cup of vinegar, (which is weak wine,) 
or was it a different cup ? Most commentators think they were differ- 
ent cups. 

The wine mingled with myrrh seems to have been a stupifying 
draught, given to criminals before they were crucified, to render them 
less sensible to pain. Of this alleviation of his anguish the Saviour 
refused to accept. 

The vinegar mingled with gall seems to have been offered by the 
soldiers in a spirit of mockery. Some executioners by their compas- 
sion have imparted comfort to innocent sufferers. They have turned 
away and wept as the blood flowed from the open wounds. When 
Wishart, the Scottish martyr, was led to the stake, the executioner, 
kneeling down, said, " Sir, I pray thee forgive me, for I am not guilty 
of your death." But the men who surrounded the Lord were of a 
more ferocious disposition : they felt no pity, they showed no mercy ; 
therefore it is written in the Psalms, " Reproach hath broken my heart, 
and I am full of heaviness ; I looked for some to take pity, but there 
was none ; and for comforters, but I found none. They gave me also 
gall for my meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." 
(Ps. lxix. 20, 21.) 

When we have been laid on beds of suffering, how differently have 
we been treated ! Kind friends and faithful servants have adminis- 
tered to our wants, and have anticipated our wishes. Many a dying 
believer, when a cordial has been presented to his parched and quiver- 
ing lips, has thought of the vinegar mingled with gall, which his Sa- 
viour tasted in gloomy Golgotha. 

Evening Scripture portion. Lev. XVI. The day of atonement. 



Luke XXIII. 33, 34.— The Crucifixion. 

Every innocent sufferer feels it a disgrace to be confounded with 
wicked men. He would rather suffer alone, or with other innocent 
persons, than be led to execution in company with criminals. Martyrs 
have generally been led together to the stake, and have enjoyed in 
their dying moments the sweet society of the righteous. 

But the glorious Son of man was conducted to the cross in com- 
pany with two malefactors, or evil doers. Their names were joined 
with his in the history of the executions of that day. Thus the pro- 
phecy spoken by Isaiah was fulfilled : " He was numbered with the 



NOV. 27.] THE CRUCIFIXION. 501 

transgressors." (Is. liii. 12.) Had John the Baptist been crucified 
with him, or one of his own disciples, the shame of his death would 
not have been so great. But shame was one of the ingredients in his 
bitter cup. Shame is the. consequence of sin, and he who bare our 
sins bare also our shame. 

His death was not only disgraceful, but painful. Perhaps there is 
no manner of being put to death that causes such lingering pain as 
crucifixion. It suited the cruelty of heathen hearts to devise such a 
mode of torture, and it continued to be practised till the Roman em- 
peror Constantine was converted to the Christian faith. He abolished 
crucifixion, and appointed hanging as the punishment for the greatest 
criminals. 

The unhappy victim who was to be crucified was first stretched 
upon his cross as it lay upon the ground. His hands and feet were 
grasped by four soldiers ; a nail was then driven through each hand, 
and another through both feet. Afterwards the cross was lifted up, 
and one end thrust with a sudden jerk into a hole prepared to receive 
it. The gaping wounds exposed to the air became inflamed, and the 
blood disturbed in its circulation, caused the head to throb and burn, 
and the heart to feel oppressed with an insupportable weight. This 
was the death which David, when he spake by the Holy Ghost, had 
prophesied his Redeemer should suffer : " The assembly of the wicked 
have enclosed me ; they pierced my hands and my feet ;" — those gra- 
cious hands which had restored so many wretched objects to health 
and joy ; — those blessed feet which had trodden so many rough paths 
to save perishing sinners, and at length — the path to Calvary itself ! 

But did the suffering Son of man feel resentment against those who 
drove the nails into his blessed limbs ? Listen to the words he utters 
when stretched upon the cross. Is it a complaint 1 No ; it is a 
prayer. Does he pray against his enemies ? No ; he intercedes for 
them : " Father, forgive them ; they know not what they do." He 
intercedes for the four soldiers who had inflicted his wounds, — for the 
band who had mocked him, — for the multitude who had cried, " Cru- 
cify him." " They knew not what they did." Caiaphas knew what 
he did ; Judas knew what he did, but the greater part of the enemies 
of Christ sinned through ignorance. Yet they were guilty, for they 
loved ignorance. It might have been said of them all, that they " loved 
darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." What 
must they have felt when they first knew that the man they had in- 
sulted, and tormented, and executed, was the Son of God ! We are 
told what some of them felt, and what they said. When Peter, in his 
sermon, declared, " Him ye have taken, and by wicked hands have 
crucified and slain," (Acts ii. 23,) three thousand were pricked in their 
hearts, and said, " Men and brethren, what shall we do ?" 

Are there any of you who can remember what you felt when you 
first discovered against what a Saviour you had been sinning all your 
lives long — when you first knew that while you had been piercing him 



502 THE SUPERSCRIPTION. [NOV. 28. 

by your transgressions, lie had been interceding for your pardon ? 
Then it was you looked on him you had pierced, and mourned as one 
that mourneth for his only son. Those were bitter tears that you shed 
at the feet of the crucified Jesus, yet they were blessed tears — they 
were the tears of repentance, which are so precious in God's sight. 
But it was not tears that washed away your sins ; no, it was the pre- 
cious blood of Christ that made your scarlet stains as white as snow. 

Evening Scripture portion. Zee. XII. The pierced Saviour. 



John XIX. 19-22. — The Superscription. 

It was the custom to write over the cross of a malefactor the crime 
for which he suffered. But Pilate could find no fault in Jesus ; there- 
fore, instead of inscribing his accusation, he inscribed his title — " The 
King of the Jews." Did Pilate then believe that the man he had con- 
demned to death was the lawful sovereign of the Jewish nation ? It 
seems that he did believe it, and that he even feared that he was more 
than a King — the Son of God ; for we are told, that when the Jews 
said, " He made himself the Son of God," Pilate was sore afraid. 
(John xix. 8.) 

How great was the crime of crucifying Him of whom he thought 
so highly ! He may have tried to satisfy his conscience by writing 
this regal title over the cross ; but the act only displayed his guilt in a 
stronger light. How many there are who imitate this part of his con- 
duct ! They do what they know to be wrong, and they imagine they 
atone for their fault by saying, while they persevere in it, that they 
know it to be wrong. God will not thus be mocked. He is not sat- 
isfied with acknowledgments, unaccompanied by any effort to act in a 
consistent manner. If Pilate did not believe that Christ was the King 
of the Jews, why did he give him that title ? and if he did believe it, 
why did he not take him down from the cross ? He was either a liar 
for writing what he did not think, or a murderer, for crucifying an in- 
nocent man. He was, in fact, a murderer, because he condemned one 
that he knew to be innocent ; — a regicide, because that innocent man 
was a king ; — and a Deicide, because that king was the Son of God. 
By what sliding steps had he sunk into the depth of crime ! 

Yet Pilate's great sin was the means of bringing glory to God. On 
the cross Jesus was proclaimed a King. In the three languages most 
generally known in Jerusalem, the glorious title was written. The 
Jews read it in Hebrew, — the Romans in Latin, — and people of all 
nations in Greek. Before his birth he had been announced to his 
mother as a King. The angel Gabriel had declared, " He shall reign 
over the house of Jacob forever." In his infancy wise men from the 



NOV. 29.] THE DIVISION OF THE GARMENTS. 503 

East had inquired throughout Jerusalem, " Where is he that is bom 
King of the Jews ?" When Nathanael first believed in the true Mes- 
siah, he exclaimed, " Rabbi, thou art the King of Israel." But the 
nation he came to save from the hands of their enemies rejected him. 
The throne they gave him was a cross. 

But shall he never reign over his ancient people ? Was he not de- 
scended from their beloved monarch, the victorious David ? And was 
it not promised to David that the Messiah should sit upon his throne ? 
(Ps. cxxxii.) This promise shall not fail. His own people will ac- 
knowledge him the Son of David as their king ; for it is written, 
" Sing, daughter of Zion, shout, O Israel ; be glad, and rejoice with 
all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem ; the Lord hath taken away thy 
judgments, he has cast out thine enemy ; the King of Israel is in 
the midst of thee : thou shalt not see evil any more." (Zeph. iii. 14, 
15.) And is he king of the Jews alone ? When he comes again there 
will be " on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of 
kings, and Lord of lords." (Rev. xix. 16.) What will then become 
of those who have refused to submit to his gentle sway ? 

Evening Scripture portion. Heb. VII. Christ a King and a Priest. 



John XIX. 23, 24. — The division of the garments. 

While the Lord Jesus was suffering unknown agonies on the cross, 
at its foot the soldiers were dividing his raiment. They little imagined 
that they were then fulfilling a prophecy, that had been recorded a 
thousand years before. It was usual for soldiers to divide the raiment 
of the crucified among themselves ; but it was not usual for them to 
find a garment so valuable that, instead of rending, they cast lots for 
it. This was a very remarkable circumstance, and one of the 
numerous tokens by which the true Messiah was pointed out to all 
who remembered the word of God. But the soldiers, being heathens, 
could not know, when they divided the raiment, that they were fulfill- 
ing ancient prophecies. They were thinking of their petty gains, and 
were quite unconscious that they were performing an action which 
had long before been foretold, and would be forever remembered. 

A description is given of one of our Lord's garments. It was a 
vesture without a seam. In the East a sort of cloak, with arm-holes, 
is still w r orn. A seam generally runs down the middle, or divides it 
across. This seam is unsightly, and those cloaks that are made with- 
out it are highly prized. It is natural to inquire how it happened, that 
the Son of Man, who was so poor, possessed a valuable garment. 
Some have conjectured that one of those pious women, who minis- 



504 ALL MEN UNITE IN MOCKING CHRIST. [NOV. 30. 

tered to him of their substance, may have woven with her own hands 
the seamless vesture. In the days of the Reformers, holy women 
esteemed it an honor to prepare the garment in which the martyr was 
to be buried. How much greater was the honor to weave a vesture 
for Him who was the express image of the Father, and the brightness 
of his glory ! 

The clothes that Jesus wore partook of the virtue which dwelt in 
his sacred body. The very hem of his garment, when touched by 
the hand of faith, could cure desperate diseases ; but now his gar- 
ments were torn by unbelieving soldiers. The blood that had flowed 
from his stripes and his wounded brows, must have covered them with 
stains. It would revolt the feelings to see men casting lots near the 
cross of a criminal, however vile ; but to see them acting thus, near 
the cross of the suffering Son of God, must have been exceedingly 
awful. 

Though the rapacious soldiers seized upon that raiment which 
might have wrapped the Saviour's dead body in his grave, his Father 
provided for him a better covering. Linen, clean and fine, was folded 
round his sacred limbs, by the faithful hands of Joseph and Nicode- 
raus. When he rose, he left even that covering in his tomb. We can 
form no conception of the glory with which he is now clothed. His 
vesture shall never again be stained by his own blood. It is the blood 
of his enemies which shall sprinkle his raiment when he comes again. 
For he has said, " I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them 
in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and 
I will stain all my raiment. 1 ' (Is. lxiii. 3.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Jer. XXXVIII. Jeremiah in the dungeon. 



Matt. XXVII. 39-44. — All men unite in mocking Christ. 

Amongst the sufferings of our Lord, mockings held a conspicuous 
place. Four times, in the course of a few hours, he was publicly 
mocked ; first in the palace of Caiaphas, — then in the house of Herod, 
— next in the judgment-hall of Pilate, and last of all at Calvary, as 
he hung upon the cross. On this occasion men of every degree united 
to insult him. Rulers and people, Jews and Gentiles, soldiers and 
citizens, with one accord derided the Lord of Glory. Even the 
thieves, by their railings, showed that they thought him worse than 
themselves. How different from this scene on earth is that now wit- 
nessed in heaven, where beings of all orders, whether they be thrones 
or dominions, principalities or powers, join in one song of adoration ! 

The impious throng mocked the dying Saviour in various ways, — 
by scornful gestures, for they wagged their heads, — by scornful ac- 



NOV. 30.] ALL MEN UNITE IN MOCKING CHRIST. 505 

tions, for the soldiers came to him. offering him vinegar, — (Luke xxiii. 
36,) and, above all, by scornful words. It appears that none uttered 
more insulting speeches than the priests, scribes, and elders. Instead 
of addressing the Son of God himself, they spoke to each other, and 
to the people. It is more trying to hear our enemies speak against us 
to others, than to hear them address the same reproaches to ourselves. 
There is more contempt shown in such a way of attack than in a 
direct assault. Jesu$ heard these scornful men saying to those around, 
" He saved others ; himself he cannot save." They intended to make 
the people doubt whether he had really saved others, seeing he did 
not save himself. But such an attempt could not succeed, when so 
many, rescued from blindness and disease, were to be seen in all 
the streets of Jerusalem ; and when even one of the high priest's own 
servants had just experienced his healing power. If all whom he 
had saved from eternal death, had appeared to bear testimony to his 
power, what a glorious company would have covered Calvary ! They 
will appear on a future day, together with multitudes then, and even 
now, unborn ; — they will declare with one voice, " He saved us." 
How happy is each one now present who can truly say, " He has 
saved me /" He is willing to save each of us. It w T as himself alone 
that he was not willing to save, because he knew that if he saved him- 
self, he could save no other. Had he come down from the cross, then 
we could never come up from the grave. 

Must it not have wounded his soul to hear the creatures for whom 
he was dying saying, " If thou be the Son of God, come down from 
the cross ?" Had all the hosts of Satan joined in mocking him, their 
taunts would not have been so trying. How easily he could have 
shown his ungrateful creatures that he was the Son of God ! He need 
only have spoken the words, and the nails would have dropped from 
his hands and feet. But love fixed him to the place of torture, — love 
to his Father, who seemed to have forsaken him, — love to his enemies, 
who were uttering the most provoking speeches. Was not this as- 
tonishing love — incomprehensible love ! And yet many who have 
heard of it, are not ashamed to declare that they do not love Jesus ; 
and others, who say they love him, show by their conduct that they do 
not. Do any of us really love this compassionate Saviour ? Do we 
not long to love him more ? It was the apostle's constant prayer for all 
the saints, that they might "know the love of Christ, which passeth 
knowledge." I^et us visit Calvary — sit at the foot of the cross, — gaze 
on the bleeding Lamb. Though our hearts may once have been 
softened by the Holy Spirit, they will become hard again, if we keep 
at a distance from that scene of sorrow and of love. 

Evening Scripture portion. Eph. V. The love of Christ. 

64 



506 THE TWO MALEFACTORS. [dec. 1 



Luke XXIII. 39-43. — The two malefactors. 

No men who ever lived died in such remarkable circumstances as 
these two thieves. They were crucified with Christ. We know not 
whether they had ever seen Jesus before that morning, when they ac- 
companied him to Calvary, and were compelled to pass many hours 
close to his side. What a different use each mltde of this precious 
though painful opportunity ! 

One of them took advantage of his station, to insult the Saviour with 
his dying breath, " If thou be the Christ, save thyself and us." This 
was not a prayer, it was a reproach. He did not believe that Jesus 
was the Christ, or that he was able to save either himself or his fellow 
sufferers. And what did he mean by " Save us?" He meant only, 
" Release us from the pangs of the cross." He thought not of eternal 
misery. But the other thief asked, not to be released from present 
suffering, but to be admitted into eternal life. He heard his compan- 
ion blaspheming the dying Lord, and he raised his voice to rebuke 
him. We do not hear of any voice being lifted up to rebuke blas- 
phemers on that day, except the voice of this penitent. But while he 
reproved his fellow, he did not forget to confess his own sins. He 
acknowledged they had been so great, that even crucifixion was not 
too severe a punishment. " We receive the due reward of our deeds." 
And then he bore a noble testimony to the innocence of Jesus : " This 
man hath done nothing amiss." How did he know that ? Had he 
not beheld his heavenly meekness, and heard his divine prayer — 
" Father, forgive them, they know not what they do ?" But besides 
all this, the Holy Spirit, who had convinced him of his own sins, had 
convinced him also of the righteousness of Jesus. Thus his testimony 
was added to that of Judas, of Pilate, and of Pilate's wife, and it must 
have been heard by those who stood around the cross. 

Some think that this thief, as well as the other, when he was first 
fastened to the cross, railed at the Saviour. But others consider that 
though St. Matthew says, " The thieves cast the same in his teeth," 
the expression does not prove that more than one acted thus 
wickedly.* It seems probable that if the penitent thief had railed at 
Jesus, he would have confessed that sin, when he rebuked his com- 
panion for the same. But in whatever manner he may have behaved 
when on the cross, we are sure that he had led a very wicked life. 
His is the only instance recorded in Scripture of repentance in a dying 
hour. It has been well observed that one such instance is recorded 
that none may despair, and but one — that none may presume. 

It was like the Son of God to close his life upon earth by an act of 
especial mercy — the salvation of a notorious sinner. It was like Him, 



* The Commentator Guyse refers to two passages to show that the plural number is 
sometimes used when only the singular is intended. See Matt. xxi. 17 ; Gen. xix. 29. 






DEC. 2.] CHRIST COMMITS HIS MOTHER TO JOHN. 507 

who had once permitted an outcast to wash his feet with her tears, to 
listen to the prayer of the penitent thief: " Lord, remember me when 
thou comest into thy kingdom." 

How much misery this malefactor must have endured, when de- 
tected, condemned, and dragged to execution ! Yet — when all hope 
seemed gone — the prospect of endless happiness was suddenly opened 
to his view. He felt more joy while hanging in tortures upon his 
cross, than he had ever experienced when joining in wild uproar with 
his profane companions. He knew that in a few hours he would be 
with Jesus in paradise. His body indeed was cast in some detested 
grave in gloomy Golgotha, or was devoured by birds and beasts ; but 
his spirit soared to the mansions of the blest, and mingled with the 
innumerable company of saints and angels. What an evening to fol- 
low such a morning ! 

At a wonderful season the penitent entered heaven ! The Lord's 
sufferings were just over — the conquest of Satan just achieved — the 
redemption of man just finished — when he joined the heavenly host. 
Perhaps he was the first who followed his Saviour into glory. A 
brand he was plucked from the burning — a prey snatched out of the 
jaws of hell, by the all-powerful arm of his dying Lord. In heaven he 
shines a trophy of divine grace ; on earth his history remains as an 
encouragement to every guilty creature to call upon the Lord for 
mercy. Though during his life he did no good, (except perhaps by 
his expiring words,) since his death he has been the means of bringing 
great glory to his Lord. Thousands when they meet him above will 
have to tell that they made the prayer he made, and trusted in the 
promise he received. But let us not wait till we are lying in our last 
agonies before we cry, " Lord, remember me :" but let us now call 
upon this gracious Saviour, that we may spend our lives in his service 
before we see his face in paradise. 

Evening Scripture portion. Acts XVI. Conversion of the jailer. 



John XIX. 25-27. — Christ commits his mother to the care of John. 

What a rich reward John received for venturing near his Master's 
cross ! To him the precious charge of the blessed Mary was confided ; 
to him the tender words, " Behold thy mother !" were addressed. 
We do not hear that Jesus spoke to any of his disciples while hang- 
ing upon his cross, except to John. How great a proof the Lord gave 
him of his love when he intrusted his mother to his care, and even 
authorized him to regard her as his own ! He still gives similar proofs 
of his love. Those who desire to serve him shall not be disappointed. 



508 CHRIST COMMITS HIS MOTHER TO JOHN. [dec. 2. 

Some service suited to his powers shall be assigned to each. To one 
the charge of an orphan family may be committed — to another a post 
in a missionary field may be assigned. But no office is more honor- 
able than the care of the aged and destitute saints. It is a distinguished 
favor to be permitted to watch over their declining years, and to close 
their failing eyes. 

What holy intercourse John must have held with his Lord's mother 
during the rest of her life ! How many incidents concerning her blessed 
Son, that are not recorded in the Scriptures, must have been treasured 
up in her memory ! She had watched beside him when sleeping in 
the manger — had held him in her arms when travelling into Egypt, 
and had guided his steps when a child in Nazareth. Yet she had 
never seen him commit a single sin — had never beheld his infant face 
inflamed with passion — nor heard his lisping tongue utter deceit. 

If parents love so fondly their sinful offspring, what must have been 
the affection of Mary for her sinless Son ! We may also feel certain 
that Jesus loved his mother better than any other Son ever loved a 
parent. Though enduring the acute agonies of the cross, he thought 
of her desolate state. Did he not prove the infinite compassion of his 
heart by remembering her at such a moment ? He would not leave 
her in this world without a home ; he knew where she would be most 
tenderly loved, and most carefully watched over, and most highly 
honored ; and therefore he consigned her to the care of the gentle and 
affectionate apostle John. 

The Lord Jesus has taught children by his own example never to 
forget the kindness they received in their helpless infancy. When 
they are grown up they should use every exertion to provide for their 
parents a comfortable home. It is melancholy to see an aged father 
driven from his cottage to seek an asylum among strangers, while his 
children are enjoying many of the comforts of life. 

But are there any who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and who 
yet fear lest they should be forsaken in their sickness or old age ? 
Let them remember that their Saviour once said, " He that shall do 
the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and 
sister, and mother." If he provided for the support of his earthly 
mother's declining years, will he forsake his spiritual mothers, and 
brothers, and sisters ? No, he will provide for their wants till their 
latest breath ; and it is probable he will do it in the same manner as 
he supplied those of his earthly mother. Ravens were not sent to feed 
her, as they fed Elijah, nor did a never-failing cruse and barrel sustain 
her life, but a pious friend was raised up to minister to her wants. 
He who appointed Joseph to nourish the aged Israel, and Ruth to sus- 
tain the beloved Naomi, and Onesiphorus to refresh the imprisoned 
apostle, still puts it into the hearts of his servants to succor his poor 
and afflicted people. It may be a son, or one dear as a son, or it may 
be a stranger who supplies their need ; but by some means or 
other the promise is always fulfilled : " My God shall supply all 



DEC. 3.] THE DARKNESS. 509 

vour need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Phil. 
iv. 18, 19.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Epistle to Philemon. Kindness to the saints. 



Matt. XXVII. 45-49.— The darkness. 

When the Son of God was born, a great light was seen in the heav- 
ens in the midst of the night ; but when he was dying, a sudden dark- 
ness overspread the land at noonday. The shepherds were sore afraid 
when they saw the light. How, then, must the murderers of the Lord 
have felt when they beheld the darkness ! What was the cause of 
this darkness ? Sometimes an eclipse of the sun will suddenly ob- 
scure the day. But an eclipse cannot occur at the time of a full moon. 
As it was at that season the passover was celebrated, it is clear this 
darkness was not caused by an eclipse. It was a miraculous event. 
It was a judgment sent by God. And why ? To show his wrath 
against the murderers of his Son. Since the beginning of the world so 
awful a deed had never been committed, as the murder of the Lord of 
glory. The day in which the deed was done might well be distin- 
guished from other days. The language Job used respecting the day 
of his birth might be applied to it. " Let darkness and the shadow of 
death stain it. Let a cloud dwell upon it ; and the blackness of the 
day terrify it." (Job iii. 5.) 

The crowds who had flocked to Calvary could no longer gaze with 
unfeeling curiosity, or malicious triumph, upon the Lord's bleeding 
body and agonized countenance. The Father had drawn a thick cur- 
tain around his expiring Son. No circumstance is recorded that oc- 
curred during those solemn hours of darkness ; but at length a voice 
was heard saying " My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?" 
The enemies of Jesus knew the voice. They knew it was not the 
cry of one of the dying malefactors that they heard. But were they 
melted by the anguish of those tones ? No, they mocked as before. 
Mistaking the word Eli (which means God) for the name of Elijah, 
they cried out, " Let us see whether Elias will come to save him." 
The three hours' darkness had not changed their wicked hearts. 

While the Son enjoyed his Father's presence, he could bear the in- 
sults of men without a complaint. But when that countenance, which 
had ever shone upon him, was hidden from his sight, then he uttered 
an agonizing cry. Other sorrows were familiar to him from his cra- 
dle ; but this was a new and strange trial. Of him it is written that 
he " is in the bosom of the Father." What closeness of communion, 
what depth of love, are implied in that expression ! Nothing could 
have interrupted this communion or deadened the sense of this love. 



510 THE SPONGE OF VINEGAR. [dec. 4. 

but sin. Our sins were the cloud that for a moment hid the Father's 
face from his only beloved Son. For a moment it cast a deep shadow 
over the heart of the Son of God, and then was blotted out forever in 
his atoning blood. From his Father's throne, he calls to us, and says, 
1 O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. I have blotted out, as a 
thick cloud, thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins ; return unto 
me ; for I have redeemed thee." (Is. xliv. 22.) But each sinner must 
come to him, that each sinner may receive pardon. Those who will 
not come will die in their sins. Then God will forsake them forever. 
When they call out, " Why hast thou forsaken us ?" what will be the 
reply ? Will it not be, " Ye ivould not come unto me that ye might 
have life ?" A child abandoned by its parents, — a wife deserted by her 
husband, are regarded with pity, but the soul forsaken of his God is 
the most miserable of all beings. This is the misery of the lost spirits 
in hell. God hast cast them away from his presence. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. XXII. Christ on the cross. 



John XIX. 28-30. — The sponge of vinegar. 

When our dying Saviour said, " I thirst," he revealed to those 
around the anguish of his body. He had before declared the anguish 
of his soul, by crying out, " My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken 
me ?" His soul and body endured intense agony to ransom our souls 
and bodies from eternal torment. The pain of extreme thirst cannot 
be conceived by those who have not experienced it. A thick crust en- 
cases the inside of the mouth, and renders the tongue stiff, while a burn- 
ing sensation in the throat makes the sufferer feel as if a fire were con- 
suming his whole frame. These were the sensations of the Saviour, 
and they are described in the Psalms of the prophet David. " My 
strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my 
jaws." (Ps. xxii. 15.) " My throat is dried." (Ps. lxix. 3.) "My 
bones are burned as an hearth." (Ps. cii. 3.) 

Yet the Lamb of God. would have endured all these pangs in silence, 
had it not been his Father's will that before he expired he should let 
men know that he was tormented by thirst. He remembered it was 
written in Ps. lxix. 21, " In my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." 
Therefore he exclaimed, " I thirst." A vessel full of vinegar stood 
near the cross, designed probably for the refreshment of the soldiers. 
One of them dipped a sponge into this vessel, and fixing it at the end 
of a long and straight branch of hyssop, applied it to the Saviour's 
mouth. The rest (as St. Matthew relates) continued to utter their 
profane mockeries, saying, " Let be, let us see whether Elias will 
come to save him." By this speech they meant to say to their com- 



DEC. 5.] THE LAST WORDS OF CHRIST. 511 

rades, " What is the use of your helping him ? he has called upon one 
more powerful than you, even Elijah, Wait a little, and see whether 
he will not come to rescue him from his misery." We may imagine 
with what fiendish shouts of laughter these words were accompanied. 
Many saints have expired in the midst of weeping friends ; the Lord 
was surrounded by insulting enemies. But now the last insult had 
been offered. The Saviour had filled up the measure of his sufferings, 
and had drained to the very dregs the cup his Father had given him 
to drink. Knowing this, he cried out, " It is finished." This cry 
was uttered by parched lips and a dried-up tongue. And why were 
those lips parched, and that tongue dried up ? That we might never 
need a drop of water to cool our burning tongues. The Saviour was 
tormented by thirst, that we might quench ours in living fountains of 
water. We could never have atoned for our oivn sins. Our tears 
could not have washed them away. Our good works could not have 
made amends for them. Therefore Jesus offered up himself a, sacri- 
fice for us. But now his sufferings are over. When we hear of them, 
we have the comfort of knowing that they are past, and that they will 
never be endured again. It is not necessary that he should ever feel 
another pang, or bear another insult. Are we troubled by the remem- 
brance of our sins ? Let us look with faith on the Lamb of God, and 
our guilty consciences shall have peace. The Holy Spirit draws the 
sinner to the foot of the cross, and enables him to feel that the blood 
once shed has atoned for all his transgressions. A penitent who had 
long sought for pardon, found peace as she was reading the following 
words — 

Jesus, our great High Priest, 
OfFer'd his blood, and died ; 
My guilty conscience seeks 
No sacrifice beside. 
His powerful blood did once atone, 
And now it pleads before the throne. 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Isa. LIII. Prophecy of Christ's sufferings and glory. 



Luke XXIII. 46. — The last words of Christ. 

When we hear that a saint has left this world we wish to know 
what were his last words. How precious are the dying accents of a 
brother, — a child, — or a parent ! We treasure them up in our hearts, 
and perhaps remember them as long as we live. At this moment 
some of us may recollect the last words of a friend we loved and lost. 
But whose words can be so precious as those of our Saviour, our 
nearest and dearest friend ? There are seven sentences recorded as 



512 THE LAST WORDS OF CHRIST. [dec. 5 

spoken by him while on the cross. Three were uttered before the 
darkness overspread the land, and four near its conclusion. The first 
three concerned others, not himself. One was a prayer for his ene- 
mies, " Father, forgive them, they know not what they do ;" the next 
was a promise to a penitent, " Verily, verily, I say unto thee, to-day 
shalt thou be with me in paradise ;" and the third implied a request to 
a beloved mother and disciple, " Behold thy mother," " Behold thy 
son." 

The last four concerned himself. One expressed the anguish of his 
soul, " My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?" — another the 
anguish of his body, " I thirst ;"■ — the next told of sufferings ended, 
" It is finished ;'•' — the last of joys begun, " Father, into thy hands I 
commend my spirit." These are the words of David in the thirty-first 
psalm. In all the scenes of our Saviour's life his heavenly perfections 
were displayed ; but in his dying hours they shone forth with the great- 
est splendor. His forgiving love was seen in his prayer for his ene- 
mies, — his compassion in his promise to the penitent, — his faithfulness 
in his charge to John, — his patience in his expiring cries, — and his 
unshaken confidence in his God in his last words, " Father, into thy 
hands I commit my spirit." As soon as he was nailed to the cross he 
called upon his Father, and when just expiring, he again said, " Fa- 
ther." In the moment of his greatest anguish he cried, "My God." 
Thus he fulfilled the prophecy in Ps. lxxxix. 26. " He shall cry unto 
me, Thou art my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation." 

Though Jesus was God, yet he was man also, and he felt as a man. 
Though without sin, he was tempted in all points like as we are. He 
endured the pangs of death. His soul was separated from his body. 
The moment of separation is called " death." Every human being 
feels it to be an awful moment. There is only one thought which can 
sustain us then ; it is the assurance that God is our Father. He who 
has doubts on this subject, feels like a traveller who is going to tread 
an unknown path, — to tread it in darkness, and to tread it — alone. 
But how can we know that God is our Father ? The Scriptures an- 
swer that question : " Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ 
Jesus." (Gal. iii. 26.) " To as many as received him, to them gave 
he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in his 
name." (John i. 12.) When we apply to Jesus for the pardon of our 
sins, then we are adopted into the family of God ; then the Holy Spirit 
is shed abroad in our hearts ; then we feel that God is our Father, be- 
cause he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ; and then w T e cry, 
Abba, that is, " Father." (Rom. viii. 15.) We cannot trust strangers, 
but a child can trust his father. We have heard of the boy who was 
not afraid in the storm, and who said, " My Father's at the helm." 
Jesus trusted in God. Even his enemies said, when they scoffed at 
him, " He trusted in God." Worldly people cannot trust him, for 
they do not know him. To them he is a stranger. They often say 
they trust him ; they often think they trust him ; but they trust him 



DEC. 6.] THE EARTHQUAKE. 513 

with nothing that they care about. They cannot trust him to choose 
their lot in life ; therefore they are always forming schemes of their 
own : nor to provide for them in old age ; therefore they are often ter- 
rified by fears of poverty and desolation. They cannot trust him to 
guide them one step which they do not see, nor to give them one bless- 
ing which they do not already hold in their hands. This is not to 
trust him. But the children of God can trust him while they live with 
their earthly concerns, and, when they come to die, with their immor- 
tal spirits. O that they trusted Him more ! Martin Luther ; the holy 
reformer, was remarkable for his trust in God. Three hours a day he 
set apart for calling upon his Father, and he received the most won- 
derful answers to his prayers. When he was dying, he was often 
heard to say, " Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." These 
were almost his last words. He added, " God so loved the world, 
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him 
should not perish." 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. XXXI. Trust in God. 



Matt. XXVII. 51-54.— The earthquake. 

Men made no public lamentation for the Son of God when he ex- 
pired. But his Father caused the inanimate creation to give signs of 
mourning ; for the earth quaked, and the rocks were rent. These 
terrible events shook the hearts of the soldiers, — those barbarous men 
who had continued to insult him till he drew his last breath. With 
grief and dismay they exclaimed, " Truly this was the Son of God." 
Had they known a little sooner who he was, they might have shown 
him pity, — they might have implored his pardon, — they might, like the 
dying thief, have obtained mercy. But another opportunity was granted 
to them : afterwards the apostles declared he was exalted a Prince and 
a Saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins ! 

Whatever our sins may have been against Jesus, we can have the 
comfort of confessing them at his feet. It is painful when we have 
lost a friend, to feel that we cannot ask him to pardon any unkind act 
that we have done. What a relief it would be to a child, when he re- 
members his offences against a deceased parent, if he could but see 
him once more, to tell him how deeply he laments every word,— every 
look, — every thought, which was not affectionate, — which was not 
reverential ! But we can express to our Redeemer all the bitter re- 
grets we feel for our past ingratitude and rebellion ! 

Let us now leave the scene of terror round the cross, and look at 
another scene in the temple. The veil was suddenly rent from the top 
to the bottom. At that very moment the priests were ministering in 

65 



514 THE EARTHQUAKE. [dec. 6. 

the holy place ; for Jesus expired at three o'clock, — when the evening 
sacrifice was offered. The veil had always hidden the inner chamber 
of the temple from every eye, except that of the high priest, who en- 
tered it once a year, when he approached the mercy-seat to make 
atonement for the sins of Israel. But all at once this inner chamber, 
called the Holy of Holies, was exposed to view, with the ark and the 
glorious cherubim. The veil could not have been rent without the 
exertion of great power ; for it was four fingers in thickness, and 
thirty ells in length, and as a new one was hung up every year, it 
never became weak through age. 

And what did the rending of this veil signify ? The Holy Ghost 
has explained this mystery. (Heb. x. 19-22.) The veil represented 
the flesh of Jesus ; the rending of the veil — his death. By his death 
the way into the presence of God is opened. Sinners may approach 
the mercy-seat without fear, because their great High Priest has 
atoned for their sins by the sacrifice of himself. But we have no rea- 
son to believe that the priests who beheld this wonder understood its 
meaning. Their hearts were hardened. They had resisted the in- 
structions of the Son of God within that temple day after day, — they 
had not been appalled by the confessions of Judas that very morning, 
— and they continued to oppose the truth even when the hand of God 
wrought this miracle before their eyes. 

There was another wonder that accompanied the death of Jesus. 
" The graves were opened." The Jews were accustomed to bury 
their dead amongst the rocks, and when the rocks were rent the graves 
were opened ; but the dead continued to sleep in the dust until — their 
Lord arose. Then, — and not till then, — many of the bodies of the 
saints came out of their graves. We ask, " What saints ?" Were 
they saints lately dead, such as Simeon, or Anna, or John the Baptist, 
who had been known by some still living in Jerusalem ? Or were they 
saints long since departed ; saints who had seen Christ afar ofT, and 
had rejoiced in the prospect of his coming ? We know not who they 
were. Where did they go ? To the holy city — to Jerusalem. To 
whom did they appear ? Unto many ; — we know not their names ; 
but we may conclude that they were true believers ; for Jesus, when 
he was risen, showed himself to none but them. What glorious inter- 
views must have taken place between the righteous dead and the 
righteous living ! How much we should like to know particulars con- 
cerning these meetings ! But nothing is revealed. How long did 
these saints remain upon earth 1 Did they ascend to heaven with their 
Lord ? We cannot tell when they left this earth, but we are sure that 
they are not now wanderers below. Where Jesus is there must his 
servants be. These saints are favored above other saints. They have 
risen earlier than their brethren, even before the dawn of day : they 
shine in their glorified bodies among the host of disembodied spirits. 
They were born from the dead on the same day as their Lord : his 
resurrection day was theirs also. But there will be anotlier resurrec- 






DEC. 7.] THE DEATH OF THE TWO THIEVES. 515 

tion day, when all the sleeping saints will rise. Shall we appear 
among the shining company ? 

Evening Scripture portion. Heb. IX. The way into the Holiest. 



John XIX. 31, 32. — The death of the two thieves. 

It was the custom among the Romans to allow crucified persons to 
remain on their crosses long after they had expired. But the Jews 
had a law which forbade this practice. God had commanded, " If a 
man have committed a sin worthy of death, and thou hang him on a 
tree, his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt 
in any wise bury him that day, (for he that is hanged is accursed of 
God,) that thy land be not defiled." (Deut. xxi. 23.) If it was. wrong 
to allow a person to remain on a cross, or tree, on a common day, it 
was of course more improper to allow him to remain there on the 
Sabbath. The Jews had a peculiar reverence for that Sabbath which 
occurred during the feast of the Passover. They regarded it as a 
high day, and they were very anxious that dead bodies should be re- 
moved before it began. As they began their Sabbath at six o'clock on 
Friday evening, it was necessary on this occasion to use great expe- 
dition. 

The Jews, supposing that none of the crucified persons might be 
dead so soon, besought Pilate to hasten their death, in the usual, but 
cruel manner, by breaking their legs. They knew not that the object 
of their hatred had forever escaped from their hands, and that they 
would never have the opportunity of inflicting another pang upon his 
sacred person. How hateful to God was the worship of those men in 
his temple, on the approaching Sabbath ! The words spoken by the 
prophet Isaiah applied to them : " When ye spread forth your hands, I 
will hide mine eyes from you ; when ye make many prayers I will not 
hear: your hands are full of blood." (Is. i. 15.) Their hands were 
imbrued in the blood of the Son of man. How could his Father bear 
them in his presence ! Let us never imagine that we can please God 
by our services, while we are stained with unpardoned sins — sins not 
abhorred, — not confessed, — not forsaken. None can truly please him 
but those who are cleansed from guilt by faith in his Son. 

When these wicked men commanded the legs of the malefactors to 
be broken, they accomplished the purpose of God. Jesus had said to 
the penitent thief, " To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise." Had 
that poor sufferer been left to hang upon the cross, he might have lin- 
gered several days. The soldiers broke his legs, and that very day 
he was in paradise w T ith the Saviour, in whom he had believed. The 
other thief was killed at the same time, and in the same manner ; but 



516 A SOLDIER PIERCES THE LORD'S BODY. [dec. S. 

we have no reason to think that he went to the same place. We do 
not hear that he was moved by the rebuke his companion gave, or that 
he offered the prayer his companion offered. Death is no release to 
an unpardoned sinner. The agonies of a cross are not to be compared 
to the torments of hell, where the worm never dies, and where the 
fire is never quenched, 

We know not in what manner we may die, by what painful disease, 
or dreadful accident. We will leave all these circumstances in the 
hand of God, trusting in his mercy to support us through every fiery 
trial. But let us often ask, " What will become of our souls when 
they leave these bodies ?" The friends who stand around a dying bed 
cannot see the spirit as it leaves its earthly abode, nor trace its course 
as it is carried by angels into heaven, or plunged among devils in the 
abyss of perdition ; but when the last struggle is over, then we our- 
selves shall know where we shall forever abide. 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. LXVI. Everlasting torments. 



John XIX. 33-37. — A soldier pierces the Lord's body. 

After the Lord had expired, no dishonor was offered to his sacred 
body. The Jews intended to dishonor it by breaking his legs, but 
their design was defeated. When the soldiers came to his cross, they 
found that he was dead already. They might have broken his legs, 
though he was dead ; but the Scriptures had declared, " A bone of him 
shall not be broken." It is written in Ps. xxxiv. 20, " He keepeth 
all his bones, not one of them is broken." The soldiers knew nothing 
of the prophecies ; yet they fulfilled them, both by not breaking his 
legs, and by piercing his side. Jesus died at the time the feast of the 
Passover was celebrated, and he was the true Lamb whose blood 
atoned for the sins of Israel and of the world. It was commanded 
concerning the paschal lamb, " Neither shall ye break a bone thereof." 
(Ex. xii. 46.) It was also commanded that its blood should be shed, 
and sprinkled upon the lintel and posts of the door. When the side 
of Jesus was pierced, his blood must have sprinkled the cross, and 
flowed in a copious stream upon the ground. 

And what a stream it was — composed not only of blood, but of 
water. Some think that the water came from the pericardium, (the 
case in which the heart is enclosed,) and that it was a proof that life 
was extinct. It is all-important to prove that Jesus really died upon 
the cross ; for if he did not really die, then we must die eternally. 
But we possess abundant evidence of his death. There was one 
standing by the cross who saw the spear enter into his side, and it is 



DEC. 9.] THE BURIAL. 517 

he who has recorded the fact. John did not leave the cross when his 
Master died. He lingered near to see what would become of his sa- 
cred body. If he had left it for a short time to take his Lord's mother 
to his own home, he had returned. Now that the darkness was past, 
he could see all that was done to his Lord's body. He saw the 
water and the blood, " and he bare record, and his record is true, and 
he knoweth that he saith true, that, ye might believe." 

There is a spiritual meaning in this stream of blood and water. 
The blood atones for sin. Before it was shed the penitent malefactor 
trusted in it, and was pardoned. One of our sweetest poets describes 
his case and his own also — 

" The dying thief rejoiced to see 
That fountain in his day, 
And there have I, as vile as he, 
Wash'd all my sins away." 

But sinners are not only guilty — they are dead in trespasses and sins. 
From Jesus flows the water of life — the Holy Spirit. He spake of 
the Spirit under the emblem of water on the last day of the feast of 
tabernacles, when he said, " If any man thirst, let him come unto me 
and drink." (John vii.) We cannot mistake the meaning of the in- 
vitation, for it is written, " This spake he of the Spirit, which they 
that believe on him should receive." (John vii. 39.) Let us come to 
Jesus for the double blessing — atoning blood and living water. Who- 
soever shall look by faith on his pierced side shall receive both 
The glorious wound adorns the risen body of our crucified Saviour as 
the everlasting memorial of his love. Men look with wonder at the 
little spring which swells into the mighty Nile, and fertilizes half a 
continent. But with what amazement angels, as well as men, regard 
that wound, which is the fountain of blessedness to millions of beings 
throughout eternity ! 

Evening Scripture portion. Rev. I. The pierced Saviour. 



John XIX. 38 to end. — The burial. 

What a contrast there is between the circumstances of the Lord's 
death and those of his burial ! Jesus died in a shameful manner ; 
stripped of his garments, and exposed to the insults of the multitude. 
He was buried in an honorable manner ; wrapped in linen, white and 
clean, and covered with a large quantity of precious spices. He died 
by the hands of Gentile soldiers ; he was buried by two of the most 
honorable of the Jewish nation. He died in a loathsome spot, Gol- 
gotha, the place of a skull : defiled by the bones of malefactors ; he 



518 THE BURIAL [dec. 9. 

was buried in a new tomb, in a rich man's garden, a spot untainted by 
the breath of corruption. 

What was the reason of this difference ? When he died, he was 
an offering for sin; when he was buried, the offering had been accept- 
ed. When he died, he was treated according to our deserts ; when 
he was buried, according to his own. The prophet Isaiah foretold that 
he would be with the rich in his death; and he assigned the reason 
for this honorable treatment, " Because he had done no violence, nei- 
ther was deceit found in his mouth." Jesus was executed upon a 
charge of violence and deceit. (Is. liii.) The Jews said he had stirred 
up the people against the Roman emperor, and that he had deceived 
them, by saying that he was a King. On account of these accusations 
he was sentenced to die. But it is we who have been guilty of vio- 
lence and deceit. There is not one of us who can truly say, " I have 
never done any harm — I have never attempted to deceive." God, who 
knows all men, has said, " Destruction and misery are in their ways " 
" They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies" It was for 
our sins that Jesus was put to death ; but it was for his own righte- 
ousness that he was honored after death. 

In old times the Lord often showed his displeasure against sin by 
causing the dead bodies of the wicked to be shamefully treated ; thus 
he appointed dogs to lick the blood of wicked Ahab, and to eat the 
flesh of the more wicked Jezebel. The honorable burial of the Son 
of God was an open testimony of his Father's favor. 

All that was done to Jesus was done to him as a public person. He 
was the surety for his people. He died, because their sins were im- 
puted to him; they shall never die, because his righteousness is im- 
puted to them. What a glorious exchange ! Who would have made 
such an exchange but the compassionate Son of God ! Why should 
the believer fear to descend into the tomb, since Christ has taken away 
his guilt ! In the prospect of death he may say, in the words of a 
Christian poet, 

" The place where once thy body lay, 
The place it did perfume ; 
There will I drop my breathless clay. 
And rest within thy tomb." 

But it is possible that we may never taste even the first death ; for the 
apostle has declared, " We shall not all sleep." There is a chosen 
number who, like Enoch and Elijah, shall be caught up, while yet 
living, to meet their Lord in the air. 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Acts X. Peter preaches the gospel to Cornelius. 






DEC. 10.] THE WOMEN PREPARE SPICES. 519 



Luke XXIII. 54 to end. — The women prepare spices. 

Though the Lord Jesus was not followed to the grave by a pom- 
pous train, yet some sincere mourners watched his precious body till it 
was hid from their eyes. These were women who had lingered within 
sight of his cross, even after he had expired. It is written in St. Mat- 
thew's gospel, " And many women were there, beholding afar off, 
which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him." (xxvii. 55.) 
These women had long known the Lord, and had enjoyed the dis- 
tinguished privilege of supplying his temporal wants. How glad 
would they have been could they have obtained possession of his be- 
loved remains ! But how could they venture to crave such a boon ! 
What must have been their joy when they beheld the two honorable 
counsellors, Joseph and Nicodemus, take down the body from the 
cross, and wrap it in fine linen with spices ! They followed to see 
where it would be laid, and Joseph did not repel them from his garden. 
Not only were they permitted to enter, but two of them continued to 
sit opposite the sepulchre, even after the stone had been placed at its 
mouth. These two were Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of 
the two apostles, James and Joses, (commonly called Jude.) By the 
last beams of the setting sun, they beheld the sepulchre of their divine 
and adorable Friend. It is written in Matt, xxvii. 61, "And there 
was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary sitting over against the sep- 
ulchre." 

An affectionate heart is alwa3 T s devising means of showing its love 
by actions. The faithful women who had supplied their Lord, while 
living, with bread, desired now to embalm his sacred body. Though 
a hundred pound weight of myrrh and aloes had been bound up in the 
linen cloth, they were not satisfied. They thought it no waste to 
lavish an abundance of aromatics upon the torn, the bruised, the man- 
gled corpse of him they loved. If odors of sweet incense continually 
filled the temple composed of stones, what could be too sweet, or too 
precious, to bestow on that more glorious temple, the body of the 
Lord ! But they could not mix their costly unguents immediately, for 
the Jewish Sabbath began at six o'clock on Friday evening, and that 
hour had almost arrived when the Lord was laid in his tomb. They 
rested on the Sabbath-day according to the commandment, and defer- 
red their preparations till six o'clock on Saturday evening, when the 
Sabbath was ended. What veneration these holy women showed for 
that holy day ! They delayed to accomplish their ardent desire rather 
than break it. How does their conduct condemn those who suffer any 
trifling incident to interfere with the sacred day of rest ! 

Of all the Sabbaths that have ever dawned since the creation of the 
world, surely that during which the Redeemer lay in his grave, was 
the most mournful to the church of God. Many hearts have been 
wrung with anguish by the thought, " My mother is dead," 



520 THE PRIESTS SET A WATCH. [dec. 11. 

is dead ;" but the disciples on that Sabbath could say, " Our Saviour 
is dead." And when, on the following night, they prepared their oint- 
ments, how many bitter tears must have mingled with the precious 
spices ! And why did they grieve ? Because they remembered not 
the promise that the Lord would rise on the third day from the tomb. 
Had they remembered it, they would have passed their nights and 
days in singing' praises, instead of in shedding tears. For want of 
knowledge they suffered much sorrow. And do not the children of 
God still suffer much anxiety, because they remember not the prom- 
ises written in the Scriptures ? When all appears dark around, how 
apt they are to fear that the light will never return ! If we love God, 
we may feel sure that all things are working together for our good. 
And even when the great storm of the last days arises, the saints ought 
not to be cast down. When other men's hearts are failing them for 
fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth, 
they should remember the command, " When these things begin to 
come to pass, then look up, for your redemption draweth nigh." (Luke 
xxi. 28.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Is. LVIII. Hallowing the Sabbath. 



Matt. XXVII. 62 to end. — The priests set a watch around the tomb. 

The " next day that followed the day of preparation," was the Sab- 
bath. It was on that holy day that the chief priests and Pharisees 
applied to Pilate to make sure the sepulchre. What a glaring instance 
of inconsistency their conduct affords ! They who had always ac- 
cused the Lord of breaking the Sabbath by healing the sick, now, to 
accomplish their own wicked ends, violated the holy day in a public 
and flagrant manner. How different from theirs was the conduct of 
those pious women, who refrained on the Sabbath from preparing 
ointments to embalm the Lord's body ! 

But it is remarkable, that while the disciples forgot the words of 
Jesus, " After three days I will rise again," his enemies remembered 
them. Sometimes the wicked possess more knowledge of the truth 
than the righteous ; but their liearts are always wrong. The disciples 
mourned because they knew not that Jesus would rise from the dead : 
the Pharisees trembled, because they feared lest he should. What is 
the state of our hearts towards Jesus ? Should we be glad to see 
him come in his glory, or do we dread the day of his appearing ? 

The Pharisees were not the only persons who applied to Pilate re- 
specting the body of Jesus. On the day of the crucifixion, the two 
honorable counsellors, Joseph and Nicodemus, had made a very differ- 






DEC. 12. J THE RESURRECTION. 521 

ent request from that of the Pharisees. They had besought Pilate to 
permit them to take away the body, and had obtained their desire. We 
know that Pilate had condemned the Lord to death against the convic- 
tions of his own conscience. Wishing to have no more to do in the 
mysterious affair, he permitted the friends of Jesus to take possession 
of his remains. It is evident that he was not pleased with the mali- 
cious request of the Lord's enemies ; for he refused to give any com- 
mands on the subject, and replied, " Ye have a watch." There was a 
band of Roman soldiers, employed by the Jews to guard the temple. 
This band was placed around the tomb to guard the temple of the 
Lord's body. But the Pharisees were not satisfied even with this 
precaution. They thought it possible that the disciples might bribe 
the soldiers to open the tomb ; therefore they sealed the stone. 

" Vain the stone, the watch, the seal, 
Christ hath burst the gates of hell ; 
Death in vain forbids his rise, 
Christ hath open'd Paradise." 

The guards set to obstruct the entrance of the tomb, were designed, 
by God to become witnesses of his power and glory. The schemes 
of wicked men against the Lord's anointed shall be overruled for the 
establishment of his kingdom. He that sitteth in the heavens laughs 
at their puny efforts. The day will come when it will be shown that 
all they have done to injure his cause, has only promoted his glory. 
But they will be punished for their wicked designs. Satan has not 
been able really to injure Christ ; but he will be consigned to the 
burning lake because he made the blasphemous attempt. 

Evening Scripture portion. Rom. II. The inconsistency of hypocrites. 



Matt. XXVIII. 1-4. — The resurrection. 

In this short passage two very different scenes are described. One 
is a scene of sorrow ; the other of joy. In one we behold weeping 
saints ; in the other, a joyful angel. Yet there is a close connection 
between these two scenes. It was the same Lord who occupied the 
thoughts of those mourners and of that joyful messenger. But the 
angel knew more than the women did. He rejoiced because he was 
sent to unbar the tomb ; they mourned because they thought there was 
nothing left for them to do except to embalm the body. 

What an honor was conferred upon that angel ! With ease he rolled 
away the massive stone. The soldiers who surrounded the tomb could 
not maintain their post at his approach. It was not the earthquake 
that terrified them, but the sight of the angel. " For fear of him the 

66 



522 THE RESURRECTION. [dec. 12. 

keepers did shake and become as dead men." The angel watches in 
their stead ; he sits upon the stone, as if to take possession of the 
place in the name of his Lord. A few words are used to describe his 
glorious person : but no words can give us a full idea of it. " His coun- 
tenance was like lightning and his raiment white as snow." Both 
lightning and snow come from above, as the angel did, and when they 
come they excite our wonder and admiration. The splendor of the 
forked lightning, and the purity of the driven snow, are not equalled by 
any other objects in creation. 

If angels are so glorious, what must be the glory of their Lord ! 
There is no description given of his appearance as he rose from the 
tomb. None of the inhabitants of earth were permitted to behold him 
issuing forth from his dark resting-place. The angel went before 
to lay the keepers low, that no profane eye might gaze upon divine 
brightness. Had the faithful women arrived at the place only a few min- 
utes earlier, they would have witnessed the rising of their Lord. But 
God had appointed that none but heavenly beings should behold the 
rapturous sight. We know not whether any glorified saints were hov- 
ering near ; whether Moses and Elijah were there ; we do know that 
angels were present. 

The light of day arose just before the Lord of glory. That light 
had hid its head when he expired upon the cross ; but it was shining 
forth when he lived again. It was meet that the sun should shine 
upon that joyful morning. The morning of the resurrection will be 
remembered throughout eternity as a joyful morning. There have 
been mornings which have appeared joyful at the time, but which have 
been looked back upon afterwards with deep regret. Events hailed 
with delight, have been followed by unforeseen evil consequences. 
But what glorious consequences have flowed from the resurrection, and 
will flow from it ! How many dead souls have been quickened through 
its divine power ! How many mortal bodies will be raised from their 
tombs ! And why ? Because Jesus rose again. What joyful shouts, 
what rapturous songs will then be heard ! What happy meetings be- 
tween brethren long separated will then take place ! What new sen- 
sations of delight will then be experienced ! What scenes of glory 
will burst upon the opening eyes of waking saints ! All this joy will 
be traced to the resurrection of Jesus ! As he said to his disciples, 
" Because I live, ye shall live also." Shall we partake of this joy ? 
We must first ask another question. Have we now the life of Jesus 
in our souls ? Are we born again ? In the new birth we obtain new 
life. If we have this life in our souls, then we may say, " When 
Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall (we) also appear with 
him in glory." (Col. iii. 4.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Isa. XXVI. The Resurrection. 



DEC. 13.] THREE WOMEN VISIT THE TOMB. 523 



Mark XVI. 1-8. — Three women visit the tomb. 

These three women had watched the Lord while hanging upon his 
cross, and now they come together to visit his tomb. Their attach- 
ment to him united them to each other. Two of these women were 
mothers — the mothers of holy apostles. Mary was the mother of 
James and Jude, the relations of the Lord, and Salome was the mother 
of James and John, two of his most favored friends. How was it that 
none of these four apostles accompanied their mothers to the sepul- 
chre ? Why did they suffer weak women to go alone, while it was 
yet dark, to a place where they were exposed to the assaults of ene- 
mies ? Surely these mothers exceeded their sons in love to their Lord. 
It has been said of woman by a poet : 

" Not she with trait'rous kiss her master stung, 
Not she denied him with unfaithful tongue : 
She, when apostles fled, could danger brave, 
Last at his cross, and earliest at his grave." 

A woman was the first to eat the forbidden fruit. It was merciful in 
God to permit her to be the first to visit the sacred tomb. 

These women were aware that great difficulties lay in their way. 
They had seen on Friday evening an enormous stone placed at the 
door of the sepulchre. They said to each other as they approached 
the place, " Who shall roll us away the stone ?" How glad would 
they have been of the help of all the eleven apostles ! But greater 
help than theirs was afforded. An angel had rolled away the stone. 
Had these women known that a guard of soldiers surrounded the tomb, 
their fears would have been much increased. But this obstacle also 
was removed before they knew it existed. The angel by the bright- 
ness of his appearance had laid the soldiers senseless on the earth. 
How often there seems to be a great stone in the way of pious under- 
takings. How apt Christians are to be discouraged, and to say, " Who 
shall roll it away ?" Let their answer be " God." When He designs 
that a work should be performed, he removes every obstacle. 

Affection inspired these women with so much courage that they 
ventured to enter the sepulchre. Theirs were the first human feet 
that trod the rocky floor after the Lord had arisen. They hoped to 
see the precious body, but they beheld on the right side of the tomb a 
young man sitting clothed in a long white garment. As angels never 
die, they are always young. As they never sin, they are represented 
as clothed in white garments. They have never known by experience 
either sin or death ; but they have seen a great deal of both. An 
angel strengthened the Lord in his agony when he was bearing our 
sins, and struggling with our death. An angel comes and sits in his 
tomb. Strange place for an angel to rest in ! But he had a message 
to deliver to the faithful women who were coming there, and he waited 



524 PETER AND JOHN VISIT THE TOMB. [dec. 14. 

to receive them. With what kindness he addressed the trembling 
mourners ! He showed that he knew why they grieved, and why 
they came, and what they expected to find. He was the first to de- 
clare that Jesus was risen. What joy a kind angel must have felt 
when uttering the words, " He is risen." He bids the women search 
the empty tomb. "Behold the place where they laid him." Then 
he sends a message to the apostles. He knew they had forsaken their 
Lord ; he sees how backward they are to honor him ; yet he remem- 
bers them ; for he knew that his Lord loved them, and he must love 
them too. He sends an especial message to that apostle who had 
sinned the most flagrantly — even to Peter. " Tell his disciples, and 
Peter." Though so liable to sin ourselves, how harsh we are in judg- 
ing others ! This angel had never forsaken or denied his Lord, yet he 
felt for those who had. He was anxious that their tears should be 
dried up without delay. 

How did the women receive the heavenly tidings ? It is written in 
St. Matthew's gospel, " They departed quickly from the sepulchre 
with fear and great joy." Their joy was greater than their fear. 
They trembled because they had seen angels ; they rejoiced because 
they hoped soon to see their Lord. The fear was the consequence 
of human infirmity, the joy flowed from faith and love. There are 
many fears now in the hearts of believers, but they shall all pass away ; 
whereas their joy shall increase and endure forever. When they have 
no sin, they shall have no fear ; and when they see Jesus, their joy 
shall be full. Do we, who never saw him, long to see him ? He 
cometh with clouds. May we meet him in the air, and be ever with 
him. 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Pet. III. Holy women. 



John XX. 1-10. — Peter and John visit the tomb. 

Mary Magdalene did not come alone to the sepulchre. We find 
from the Gospel of St. Mark that she was accompanied by two other 
women, Mary and Salome. But when she perceived that the stone 
was rolled away from the sepulchre, she acted in a different manner 
from her companions. Instead of approaching to examine the tomb, 
she immediately concluded that the precious body had been stolen, 
and ran back to Jerusalem for assistance. Christians, though they 
resemble each other in attachment to the same Lord, have different 
ways of showing that attachment. Some, like Mary Magdalene, are 
ready to give up all for lost in the first moment of alarm ; while others, 
like Salome and the other Mary, continue to hope even against hope. 

To whom did this sorrowful woman apply for aid ? To those be- 



DEC. 14. J PETER AND JOHN VISIT THE TOMB. 525 

loved apostles, Peter and John. We often find those two apostles 
near each other. It seems that a close friendship subsisted between 
them. Peter's shameful denial had not broken the bond. John had 
not said to Peter, " I can no more ow r n you as a brother." He him- 
self was not without sin : he had forsaken his Lord, though he had 
not denied him. 

Mary Magdalene gave a very alarming account of what she had 
seen in Joseph's garden : she even asserted, " They have taken away 
the Lord." Peter and John set off with the utmost speed towards the 
tomb. John was the swifter. It is generally supposed that he was 
the younger. But Peter was the bolder ; for when he arrived at the 
tomb he entered, whereas John at first only looked in, though he also 
entered afterwards. 

And what did they see in the tomb ? The linen clothes. This sight 
convinced John that his Lord's body had not been stolen ; but that his 
Lord himself was risen. If enemies had taken away the body, would 
they have left the clothes ? And if they had been suddenly surprised, 
and dropped the clothes in their haste to escape, would those clothes 
have been neatly arranged ? — and the napkin which had been round 
the sacred head, would it have been folded in a place by itself? No, 
it was evident that he who had reposed in the tomb, no longer wore 
the attire of death. We are not told in this place what effect the sight 
of the clothes had upon Peter ; but from another passage it appears 
that the sight convinced him also. (See Luke xxiv. 12.) 

Both these apostles returned to their own home, without having 
seen either the Lord or his angels ; without even having seen the 
women who had seen the Lord ; and therefore without having heard 
their message. Why did they not still linger round the tomb, or 
search in every place for him they had lost ? 

It seems that the apostles, after their Lord's crucifixion, were afraid 
of falling into the hands of their enemies, and that on this account 
they kept as much as possible within their own doors. 

There was one who now dwelt with John who was deeply affected 
by all that concerned the blessed Redeemer : it was his mother. We 
know that she watched her Son when dying on the cross, but we do 
not hear of her visiting the tomb. W T hat sweet communion must have 
been held that day in the home of the beloved apostle ! How the 
Lord's mother and his friend must have rejoiced together over his 
resurrection ! They are happy who, living beneath one roof, delight 
to talk together of their blessed Saviour ! How can they who love 
him, forbear to speak of him, to retrace his kindness in times past, and 
to anticipate his glorious return ! 

Evening Scripture portion. Isa. LXIV. The happiness of believers. 



526 CHRIST APPEARS TO MARY MAGDALENE. [dec. 15. 



John XX. 11-18. — Christ appears to Mary Magdalene. 

Mary Magdalene enjoyed one of the highest honors that was ever 
bestowed on a human creature — while on earth. She was the first to 
whom the Lord appeared after his resurrection. It is interesting to 
consider the conduct of this honored woman ; for it must have been 
pleasing to the Lord. She lingered near the tomb after the apostles 
had departed. Her companions, also, who had seen the angels, were 
gone. She was alone. She was weeping. Others may have wept 
around the tomb, but her tears alone are mentioned. Perhaps it may 
have been on this account that many have supposed that she was the 
woman who once washed the feet of Jesus with her tears ; but there 
is no foundation for this opinion. Stooping down, she perceived the 
angels, but felt no fear, for it seems she knew them not. There they 
were clothed in white, keeping watch in the tomb. The apostles had 
not seen them, when they had looked in. The heavenly watchers were 
mindful of Mary's tears, and asked, " Woman, why weepest thou ?" 
She replied, " Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know 
not where they have laid him." The angels did not attempt to comfort 
her, as they had done her companions, because a better Comforter 
was standing behind her. She had complained to apostles, then to an- 
gels, and now she complains to the Lord himself. " Sir, if thou have 
borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take 
him away." Grief is unreasonable. Had an enemy taken away the 
body, would he have told Mary where he had laid it ? The mourner 
w r as so transported with sorrow that she knew not what she said, or 
what she did ; she could not distinguish faces, nor remember voices ; 
all was confusion and perplexity. 

There are some who weep now, because they fear lest the enemy 
should triumph over their Lord's body. The saints are the body of 
Christ, his flesh, and his bones. The enemy has often trampled upon 
that body, but he can never destroy it. There are three islands, in 
distant oceans, which in our days have been openly assaulted by Satan 
and his hosts. The prisoners of Madeira, the patriots of Tahiti, and 
the martyrs of Madagascar, have endured a great fight of afflictions. 
Some have wept over their sufferings. Jesus beholds the tears of 
those who feel for his oppressed people, and he says to them with ten- 
derness, " Why weepest thou ?" He bids them weep no more, for he 
will soon avenge his own cause. 

Though Mary did not at first remember her Saviour's voice, yet 
when he pronounced her own name she knew it. Shall we ever hear 
our own names uttered by our Lord ? Are they now written in his 
book ? Can we wonder that when Mary had found her Lord she was 
unwilling to part from him? He said, "Touch me not;" that is, 
" Hold, or detain me not ; for I am not yet ascended unto my Father." 
As he was not going to ascend immediately, Mary might hope to see 



DEC. 16.] CHRIST APPEARS TO THE FAITHFUL WOMFN. 527 

him soon again. Then he sent a message to his brethren. He called 
his disciples his brethren. This was the message : " I ascend unto 
my Father and your Father, unto my God and your God." What a 
message ! How full of grace, of joy, of glory ! It is a message to 
us, if we believe in Jesus. His Father is our Father, and loves us as 
he does him. (John xvii. 23.) Our elder brother is gone before us, 
to prepare a place for the younger children in his Father's house. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. XLII. XLIII. Panting after God 



Matt. XXVIII. 9, 10. — Christ appears to the faithful women. 

The Lord Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, after he rose 
from the dead ; then he appeared to her two companions, Mary and 
Salome. He could transport himself, in one moment, from the place 
where he stood conversing with Mary Magdalene, near the tomb, to 
the spot which these women had reached. He met them as. they were 
running quickly to bring his disciples word. 

He met them with words of joy. He said, " All hail," or " Rejoice 
ye." He found them rejoicing, but he bid them again rejoice. The first 
salutation that he uttered when he rose from the dead was, "Woman, 
why weepest thou ?" His next salutation was, " All hail." He would 
not bid his people rejoice, if there were not great cause for joy. 
When he was born into the world, the angel said to the shepherds, 
" Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all 
people." Since that time Jesus had passed through deep sorrow. And 
what was the fruit of this sorrow ? Joy. What joy ? The joy of 
saving souls from eternal death. This was the joy set before him, to 
gain which he endured the cross, and despised the shame. This is the 
Father's will, that every one that seeth the Son, and believeth in him, 
shall have everlasting life. (John vi. 40.) Well might Jesus say to 
these believing women, " All hail !" If we could now hear Him speak 
from heaven, we should hear him utter those same words to all who 
believe in him. Though they might be languishing on sick beds, or 
weeping over newly-closed graves, he would say to them, " All hail I" 
But what would he say to unbelievers ? He would denounce wo upon 
them, because they have not believed in the only name which can save 
them from the wrath to come. "Wo unto you that laugh now, for 
ye shall mourn and weep." 

Though the faithful women felt some fear at the sight of their risen 
Lord, they ventured to approach him, and to hold him by the feet. 
They must have seen upon those feet the prints of the nails. They 
loved him before he died, but surely they loved him better now. The 
sight of his agonies on the cross must greatly have increased their 



528 THE PHARISEES BRIBE THE WATCH. [r>£c. 17. 

love. Every one who has lost dear friends feels, " I never loved 
ihem enough while they were with me. The remembrance of their 
dying pangs endears them doubly to my heart." But what must these 
women have felt when they remembered all their Lord had gone 
through, and when they knew it was all for their sakes ! Do we wish 
we had been in their place, lying low at his feet and worshipping him? 
If we love him, we may look forward to such a meeting. 

AVhen Jesus rose from the dead, his enemies were not permitted to 
see him. He appointed a place in Galilee where all his disciples from 
all parts of the land might assemble to meet him : but his enemies re- 
ceived no invitation. There shall be a place in the air where all who 
love Jesus shall behold him when he comes again. The dead m 
Christ shall rise first ; then those who are alive and remain shall be 
caught up together ivith them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the 
air. There will be no 'parting after that meeting. " So shall we be 
ever with the Lord." There will be no sorrow after that meeting. 
" God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." There will be no 
sin after that meeting. " When he shall appear, we shall be like him, 
for we shall see him as he is." (1 John iii. 2 ) 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Peter III. The end of the world. 



Matt. XXVIII. 11-15. — The Pharisees bribe the watch. 

How short was the joy of the world ! How soon it was turned into 
sorroAV ! Before his crucifixion, the Lord had said, " The world shall 
rejoice." And they did rejoice during the day that he lay in the grave. 
The words that God once addressed to Moab concerning their be- 
havior to Israel applied to them : " Since thou spakest of him, thou 
skippedst for joy." (Jer. xlviii. 27.) But what dismay they felt when 
they heard that the object of their hatred was risen from the tomb ! 
Yet they persevered in their horrible attempt to deter people from be- 
lieving in him. 

When they learned from the affrighted soldiers the wonders that had 
happened at the sepulchre, they determined, if possible, to conceal 
these events. The chief priests took the lead in this dark transaction ; 
they summoned the elders, and consulted with them by what means 
they should smother the truth. They decided on bribing the soldiers 
to spread an invented tale. " His disciples came by night, and stole 
him away while we slept." The father of lies never suggested a more 
awful lie than this. It is his constant employment to teach sinners to 
hide their sins under a covering of falsehood. There are numbers to 
be found in every place who are contriving day after day new ways of 
concealing their old sins. Their tongues are grown so familiar with 



DEC. 18.] WOMEN VISIT THE TOMB. 529 

lies, that they can tell them without a blush. But unless they repent, 
they will feel the power of that tremendous sentence, " All liars shall 
have their part in the lake which burnetii with fire and brimstone." 
All liars of every degree shall share in that condemnation. The Phari- 
sees were deceivers of the worst kind. What would be thought of the 
man who should wilfully deceive his neighbors concerning the place 
where the fire-engines were kept, though he knew the town was in 
flames? Through such a man a whole town might be destroyed. The 
Pharisees were such men. They endeavored to deceive a perishing 
world respecting him who was the life of that world. The resurrec- 
tion proved that he was indeed the Son of God. This was the fact that 
his enemies labored to conceal. 

They found the Roman soldiers ready to unite in their scheme. 
There is nothing so wicked that men have not done for the sake of 
money. Some will even plead as an excuse for sin, that they should 
lose money if they did not commit it. Have you never heard persons 
defend their disobedience to God's laws by saying, "I could not get a 
living if I acted otherwise ?" Have any of us ever made such miser- 
able excuses ? There is one question which we ought never to forget. 
It is this : " What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and 
lose his own soul ?" 

These soldiers incurred great guilt when they consented to spread 
the falsehood the Pharisees had invented. They had felt the earth- 
quake, they had seen the angels, yet they did not declare the glory of 
the Lord. But God found other messengers. Feeble, though faith- 
ful women, first proclaimed the joyful tidings. Unlearned, though in- 
spired apostles, confirmed their word, and spread it far and wide. We 
have heard the glorious truth, that the Lord rose from the dead on the 
third day. Have we believed it ? God has promised to save all those 
who believe it with the heart. " If thou shalt confess with thy mouth 
the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God raised him 
from the dead, thou shalt be saved." (Rom. x. 9.) 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Tim. VI. The love of money. 



Luke XXIV. 1-12. — Women visit the tomb. 

Those who have attentively examined the history of the resurrection 
have come to the conclusion that two companies of women visited the 
tomb. St. Matthew and St. Mark record the visit of the first com- 
pany ; St. Luke that of the second. The first company consisted of 
at least three women, Mary Magdalene, the other Mary, and Salome. 
We do not know how many women composed the second band, or 
what were their names ; but it is probable that Joanna, the wife of 

67 



530 WOMEN VISIT THE TOMB. [dec. 18. 

Chuza, Herod's steward, was one of them. Many women had fol- 
lowed Jesus from Galilee, and had ministered unto him by the way. 
(Matt, xxvii. 55.) It is not to be supposed that they all lodged in the 
same house in Jerusalem, or that they reached the sepulchre at the 
same moment. Those who came first saw one young man clothed in 
white sitting in the tomb. The second band for a time saw no one ; 
but, when they were much perplexed, they beheld two men standing 
by them in shining garments. The first company, as they were run- 
ning to bring the disciples word, met their risen Lord : but. there is no 
account of the second company being honored with such an interview. 
By referring to the 23d verse of this chapter, we shall see that there 
were some women who only saw a vision of angels, and not the Lord 
himself, and they may have formed the second band. 

How do angels address our fallen race ? They speak to us as if we 
were but little children in comparison to themselves. These angels 
said to the women, "Why seek ye the living among the dead?" It 
appeared to them an act of folly to look for the Lord of Life in the 
abode of Death. They felt that his followers ought to have known 
that he was risen. They repeated the very words that He had said to 
them, " The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful 
men and be crucified, and the third day rise again." Could any words 
be plainer than these ? It was strange that all the disciples should 
have forgotten them. But while the angels must be astonished at the 
dulness and forgetfulness of human creatures, they do not exult over 
them with pride, or upbraid them with harshness. They instruct in a 
gentle and condescending manner. Let us try to teach like them when 
we meet with those who are more ignorant than ourselves. The 
heavenly hosts have been taught by Him who said, " Learn of me, for 
I am meek and lowly in heart." 

What a disappointment it must have been to these women when 
they found the apostles would not believe their account ! But Peter 
went to the tomb to examine for himself. Whether this was the same 
visit recorded by St. John, or another, is uncertain. The sight of the 
linen clothes convinced Peter that the Lord's body had not been stolen 
In the course of the day the Lord himself appeared to Peter. St. 
P'aul declares that he was seen of Cephas (or Peter) before he was 
seen of the twelve. (1 Cor. xv. 5.) How wonderful that he who had 
denied his Master should be the first of all the apostles to behold him 
after his resurrection ! Jesus knew that this weeping backslider needed 
this strong consolation. How the look which his Master had cast 
upon him while standing in the judgment-hall must have agonized his 
mind, till he saw again that injured Friend ! Christ still pities the 
poor wanderer. It is not his will that such a one should " be swal- 
lowed up with overmuch sorrow." (2 Cor. ii. 7.) It is the duty of his 
fellow-Christians to forgive and to comfort him, and to confirm their 
love towards him. How much more is it the delight of the compas- 
sionate Saviour to raise him up, to strengthen him, and to wipe away 



DEC. 19.] THE JOURNEY TO EMMAUS. 531 

his tears ! Is there any sin which lies heavy on the conscience of any 
of us ? Let us confess it at the feet of Jesus. He will not spurn us 
from his presence : no ; but " He will turn again, he will have com- 
passion upon us, he will subdue all our iniquities ; and thou wilt cast 
all their sins into the depths of the sea." (Micah vi. 19.) 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. XXV. A prayer for pardon. 



Luke XXIV. 13-24. — The journey to Emmaus. 

Towards the close of the joyful day which saw the Lord arise, two 
of the disciples were walking together, oppressed with sorrow. The 
name of one of these men was Cleopas. The name of his companion 
is not revealed. It does not seem probable that this Cleopas was the 
husband of that Mary who visited the sepulchre ; for if he had been 
her husband, he must have known that she had seen the Lord ; where- 
as we find that he only speaks of the women having seen angels, (v. 
23.) It is also to be remarked that he calls them merely " certain 
women of our company." 

Cleopas and his friend were walking towards Emmaus. This vil- 
lage was nearly eight miles to the northwest of Jerusalem. The way 
thither was mountainous, and in many places almost paved with rock. 
The gloomy scenery — the rugged path — the lonely way — the declining 
sun, must have accorded with the troubled state of the disciples' 
hearts. The risen Lord beheld these two friends as they walked sor- 
rowfully along, and he came to pass the evening in their company. 
Though he well knew the subject of their conversation, he asked them 
this question, " What manner of communications are these that ye 
have one to another, as ye walk and are sad ?" 

When we are conversing together, if the Lord were to draw near 
and to make this inquiry, should we always- be willing to reply? Out 
of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Worldly people 
never take pleasure in conversing about their souls, or Christ, or heav- 
en. They delight in talking of the trifling vanities of time. But 
even true Christians are apt to forget unseen things, and to waste their 
precious hours in unprofitable discourse. But when they do converse 
upon spiritual subjects, they receive a blessing from the Lord. In 
times of affliction, especially, they should avoid the society of the un- 
godly. David when in trouble said, " I will keep my mouth with a 
bridle while the wicked is before me." (Ps. xxxix. 1.) But they 
should open their hearts to each other. It was in a time of public 
calamity that the saints described by Malachi met together. " Then 
they that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and the Lord 
hearkened and heard it." (Mai. iii. 16.) 



532 



CHRIST MAKES HIMSELF KNOWN AT EMMAUS. [dec. 20, 



There must have been something exceedingly gracious in the man- 
ner in which Jesus addressed the mourning disciples ; for, though 
they took him for a stranger, they readily opened their grief at his re- 
quest. What a grief it was ! They had lost their Lord. Yet they 
had not renounced him. They looked upon him still, not as a deceiver, 
but as a "prophet mighty in deed and in word, before God and all the 
Deople." Their own negligence was the principal occasion of their 
grief. Though many had been to see the sepulchre, they had not. 
Had they gone they also might have seen angels, or at least they 
would have seen the linen clothes, and by them have been convinced 
that the Lord was risen. Then, instead of mourning together, they 
would have been rejoicing together. Christians are often unhappy 
only because they are negligent. They hear their brethren tell of joys 
which they themselves have never tasted, and they scarcely believe 
the report. But if they would use the same diligence in searching the 
Scriptures, and the same importunity in prayer as those happy breth- 
ren, they also would rejoice. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ps. LXX VII. The disconsolate Church. 






Luke XXIV. 25-35. — Christ makes himself known at Emmaus. 

Has any one who loves Jesus ever read the account of the walk to 
Emmaus without wishing he had been there? How delightful it must 
have been to hear the Lord explain in all the Scriptures the things 
concerning himself! But has He not promised his Holy Spirit to en- 
lighten us when we search his holy word ? There are things concern- 
ing himself in all the Scriptures. In the beginning of the Bible we 
find him revealed as the Seed of the woman ; and in the last chapter 
of the Old Testament, we behold him as the Sun of Righteousness ; 
and in every intervening page we may discover him : as a suffering 
Lamb, or as a conquering Lion ; as a tender shoot, or a strong branch ; 
as a servant, or a king ; as a child, or the Ancient of Days ; now 
made low as a worm, and now declared to be the mighty God, the 
great Creator, the glorious Jehovah. 

While the Lord was explaining this mysterious subject to his atten- 
tive companions, he arrived at Emmaus. This village was situated on 
the southern side of a fruitful hill, and commanded a view of the 
towers and pinnacles of Jerusalem. Lying exposed to the heat of the 
mid-day sun, it was refreshed by an abundance of cooling springs. 
Jesus would not have entered the disciples' dwelling had he not been 
entreated to stay. Whenever we return to our homes, let us make 
the prayer those disciples made, and say, "Abide with us." No home 



DEC. 20.] CHRIST MAKES HIMSELF KNOWN AT EMMAUS, 533 

is really sweet in which Jesus does not abide. Where he is, there 
are peace, and love, and joy. 

The Lord acted as master of the house at the table of his host. 
According to his custom, " he took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, 
and gave to them." Then the disciples knew the Lord, for their eyes 
were opened. God exercises supreme power over our senses. He 
lets us see and hear what he chooses. In the next world He can open 
our eyes, and enable us to know saints we have never seen, and to 
recognise friends we have long lost. 

What must the mourners have felt when they discovered that the 
wonderful stranger was their own beloved Saviour ! But they had no 
opportunity of expressing their delight to him, for fi£ vanished out of 
their sight. After his resurrection the Lord neither came in nor went 
out as before. A glorified body is very different from the houses of 
clay in which our spirits are imprisoned. 

The two friends could not remain at home after the joyful event 
that had happened ! They longed to make their brethren partakers 
of their happiness. They had left them weeping ; but when they ar- 
rived at Jerusalem they found them rejoicing. The Lord had appeared 
to Simon Peter. Though the women's report had been disbelieved, 
Peter's testimony had been received. 

What was the subject of that evening's conversation ? Was it not 
the various appearances of the Lord ? Every particular concerning 
the interviews that had been enjoyed with Him must have been lis- 
tened to with the deepest interest. About what do saints above con- 
verse ? Is it not about their Lord, and how they first learned to know 
him, and how he manifested himself to them at various seasons of their 
pilgrimage ? Even here, when saints meet together, they delight to 
speak on these subjects. Like the disciples of old, they have different 
histories to relate. Mary Magdalene might tell how quickly he re- 
vealed himself to her : Cleopas and his friend might describe how 
long he delayed to make himself known to them. She met him in the 
garden — they were joined by him in the way. She addressed him 
first — they were first spoken to by him. The dealings of the Lord 
with his people are still marked by different circumstances ; but the 
end in every case will be the same. Though for a season they may 
lament, saying, " I sought him, but I found him not ;" and inquire 
mournfully, " Saw ye him whom my soul loveth ?" at length they will 
joyfully declare, " I found him whom my soul loveth." (Cant. iii. 2-4.) 
Those who love Jesus must find him, for He himself is seeking them. 

Evening Scripture portion. Canticles III. Seeking Christ 



534 CHRIST EATS IN THE PRESENCE OF HIS DISCIPLES, [dec 21. 



Luke XXIV. 36-43. — Christ eats in the presence of his disciples. 

During the course of the resurrection-day the Lord Jesus appeared 
to several of his people either alone, or when two or three were together. 
But he crowned the joys of the day by showing himself in the evening 
to a larger assembly. The apostles, the disciples from Emmaus, and 
others besides, were all conversing about their risen Lord, when they 
suddenly saw him standing before them. Nothing could be more 
comforting than the words he uttered, "Peace be unto you." All his 
salutations to his people that day had been full of sympathy and en- 
couragement. To the weeping Mary he had said, " Why weepest 
thou ?" to the joyful women, " All hail !" to the mourning disciples, 
" What manner of communications are these that ye have one to an- 
other, as ye walk and are sad ?" To Simon Peter we know not what 
he said ; but we are persuaded that He who sent him a gracious mes- 
sage, gave him a tender reception. To his assembled apostles he 
said, " Peace be unto you." This peace he won by the pangs of 
death. Man lost it in Eden ; the Son of man regained it on Calvary. 
He made peace by the blood of his cross, (Col. i. 20 ;) and he rose 
from the grave to bestow that peace upon his people. He still lives 
to bestow it on all who ask it. If there be any uneasy soul seeking 
for happiness, but not knowing how to obtain it, let that restless crea- 
ture fall low at the feet of Jesus, and implore his blessing ; peace shall 
sooner or later flow into that troubled heart. A sweet sense of par- 
don, a lively hope of heaven, and a fervent love to God — these feel- 
ings make up the peace that Jesus gives. 

How touching it must have been to see the Lord showing his own 
wounded hands and feet to his disciples, and inviting them to touch 
his sacred person ! God suffered these prints of love to remain after 
the wounds were forever healed. The apostle John, when he speaks 
of his Lord in the opening of his first epistle, alludes to the privileges 
he had enjoyed : " That which was from the beginning, which we 
have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked 
upon, which our hands have handled, of the Word of Life." 

The apostles enjoyed some privileges which we have never known. 
They heard that blessed voice, they saw that sacred form, they touched 
those precious limbs ; but there are still higher enjoyment^ that we 
hope to share with them hereafter. The gracious Saviour, who con- 
descended to eat with his disciples after he rose from the dead, has 
promised to admit all his people to intimate communion with himself. 
There is no creature so mean, — no soul so ignorant, — no sinner so 
lost, who shall, if he feel the desire to be with Jesus, be refused ad- 
mittance to his presence. But not one being shall approach him in 
glory who has not loved him upon earth. To all who love him not 
lie will say, " Depart." How would the entrance of an enemy have 
marred the joy of the evening which Christ spent with his apostles ! 



DEC. 22.] CHRIST BESTOWS THE HOLY GHOST. 535 

Judas was not there. No doubt, in former days, he had stirred up 
many dissensions among the little band. There shall not be one ene- 
my m heaven to interrupt the harmony. The weak believer shall be 
there ; the restored backslider shall be there ; the sinner, plucked in 
the last hour as a brand from the burning, shall be there : but not one 
hypocrite, not one self-righteous formalist, not one worldly-minded 
person, not one who does not love the Lord Jesus Christ. Let each 
of us ask his own soul, " Shall I be there ?" 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 John I. The apostles' knowledge of Jesus. 



John XX. 19-23. — Christ bestoios the Holy Ghost on his disciples. 

This is the same appearance of the Lord as that recorded by St. 
Luke. It took place in the evening, after the resurrection. It is the 
first meeting recorded of the followers of the crucified Saviour. It 
was the^rs^ of a long train of Christian assemblies. At this moment, 
in how many parts of the world congregations are worshipping him 
who suffered upon the cross ! Our family is now met together in 
honor of his name. But do our feelings resemble those of the first 
disciples ? Do we love Jesus ? Do we earnestly long to see him ? 
If he were now to stand in the midst of the room, should we be ex- 
ceedingly glad ? There are many who call themselves Christians, 
who do not love Christ. They would not be glad to see him. 

When the risen Saviour entered the room where the disciples were 
assembled, the doors were shut for fear of the Jews. It is evident 
that they were locked, or fastened, in order to keep out the enemy. 
It was easy for him who had just broken the bars of death to open 
those doors. 

St. Luke relates, that on this occasion he ate in the presence of his 
disciples. This he did to show that he was man. But he also 
showed that he was God. He breathed on his disciples, saying, " Re- 
ceive ye the Holy Ghost." At that very moment they received the 
Holy Ghost, though not in so abundant a manner, as after Jesus as- 
cended. 

Christ never gives us commands without enabling us to fulfil them. 
He commanded his apostles to preach the Gospel, and to enable them 
to preach it, he gave them the Holy Ghost. By this gift their under- 
standings were enlightened more than they had ever been before. 
But the apostles could not forgive sins. He alone, against whom sin 
is committed, can forgive it. Why then did Jesus say to his apostles, 
" Wnose soever sins ye remit they are remitted to them V Did He 
not enable them to know whom He would forgive ? 

When the men who had crucified their Lord came to them in an 



536 CHRIST CONVINCES THE UNBELIEVING APOSTLE. [dec. 23. 

agony of grief, saying, " Men and brethren, what shall we do ?" the 
apostles knew what to reply. They knew that Christ would forgive 
his murderers, and they answered, " Repent, and be baptized every 
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins.'''' 
They knew also whom God would not forgive. When Ananias and 
Sapphira lied unto the Holy Ghost, Peter consigned them both to in- 
stant death. 

What is the greatest boon that sinners can receive ? Is it not the 
forgiveness of sins 1 Do we desire to know whether our sins are for- 
given ? In the writings of the apostles we shall find rules laid down 
by which we may examine ourselves. Have we with real sorrow 
confessed our sins, and asked pardon in the name of Jesus ? Then 
we have obtained mercy. For the apostle John has declared in his 
first epistle, " If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive 
our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John i. 9.) 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Cor. II. Pardon in the name of Christ. 



John XX. 24 to end. — Christ convinces the unbelieving. apostle. 

Much benefit has often been lost by absence from the assemblies 
of the saints. Thomas, by his absence, lost an opportunity of seeing 
the risen Saviour. While his brethren were rejoicing in the thought 
of the glory of their Lord, he was suffering the miseries of unbelief. 

There is something daring and repulsive in the expression he used : 
" Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and thrust my 
hand into his side, I will not believe." Thomas little thought when 
he spoke thus that Jesus heard his words. How many speeches that 
we have uttered must have grieved the heart of our ever-present' Sa- 
viour ! Were he to appear and remind us of them, we should feel 
overwhelmed with shame and sorrow. 

It was just one week after his resurrection that the Lord came the 
second time to visit his assembled people. 

He entered the room in the same wonderful manner as before, pass- 
ing through the fastened doors. By two signs he showed that he was 
God. The manner of his entrance displayed his divine power ; his 
repeating the words of Thomas manifested his divine knowledge. 

When Nathanael was brought to Jesus, he was astonished to hear 
him say, " When thou wast under the fig-tree I saw thee ;" and he 
cried out, " Thou art the Son of God ; thou art the King of Israel." 

Thomas felt in the same manner when he exclaimed, " My Lord 
and my God." He did not say, (as Israel once had said,) the Lord he 
is the God ; but " My Lord and my God." He loved Jesus, and he 
knew that Jesus loved him ; therefore he could say, " My God." 



DEC. 24. J CHRIST AT THE LAKE OF GENNESARETH. 537 

Those wounds in the Saviour's hands seemed to cry out, " I loved 
thee, and gave myself for thee." 

The sin of this apostle was the occasion of a blessing being pro- 
nounced on numbers then unborn. " Blessed are they that have not 
seen, and yet have believed." Thomas ought to have believed the 
promise that Christ would rise, before any witnesses had declared 
that they had seen him ; but he not only doubted Christ's promise, 
but rejected the testimony of all his brethren. His unbelief was very 
great ; yet it was not that fatal unbelief which reigns in the uncon- 
verted, for it was accompanied by sincere love. The Pharisees 
dreaded lest Christ should rise. Thomas regarded his rising again as 
too joyful an event to be true. They tried to shut their eyes to all the 
proofs that were pressed upon them. He sought to obtain stronger 
proofs than he had yet found. Still Thomas would have been more 
blessed had he believed the word of Jesus before he had seen it ac- 
complished. 

Among those who sincerely believe in Jesus how much unbelief 
may be detected ! How often they fear that He has forgotten them, 
though He has promised that He never will ! If they would always 
trust him they would always taste that peace which passeth all un- 
derstanding. Jacob, though an eminent saint, in the midst of his fiery 
trials was tempted to exclaim, " All these things are against me ;" 
but the Shunammite was enabled in the depth of her trouble to say, 
" It is well." 

Evening Scripture portion. 
2 Kings IV. 1-37. The faith of the Shunammite. 



John XXI. 1-14. — Christ appears at the lake of Gennesareth. 

This is the third time that the Lord showed himself to several dis- 
ciples assembled together after he rose from the dead. The first time 
was on the evening of the day of his resurrection ; the second was a 
week afterwards, when Thomas was present. Both these appearances 
took place at Jerusalem. The third occurred in Galilee. The angel 
at the tomb had promised that Jesus would meet his disciples in Gali- 
lee. In this part of Canaan he had lived from his childhood, and here 
he had often travelled with his little flock, preaching the Gospel. 

It must have been a trial to the apostles not to see their Lord as 
soon as they arrived there. It seems that they were reduced to great 
necessity while waiting for him, and that they were obliged to resume 
their old occupation of fishing. But they were not forgotten by hirri 
who had given his own flesh for the life of the world. 

68 



538 CHRIST AT THE LAKE OF GENNESARETH. [DEC. 24. 

Alter a toilsome night, spent in vain endeavors to procure a fresh 
supply of food, they heard a voice calling out, " Children, have ye any 
meat ?" But they neither recognised the voice, nor the form of their 
Lord. Soon, however, the beloved apostle John discovered him by his 
wondrous acts. After following his directions, the apostles found their 
net laden with an enormous quantity of fishes. Then John exclaimed, 
" It is the Lord." 

On several occasions after the resurrection, Jesus made himself 
known by some word he uttered, or act he performed, without decla- 
ring plainly who He was. When he pronounced the name of Mary, 
he was made manifest as her Lord ; and when he blessed the bread at 
Emmaus, he was discovered by the mourning disciples. There are 
many ways in which Jesus still makes his people feel that he is 
present. When a soul is converted, then we know that he is near ; 
when in the midst of trouble, comfort flows into the heart, — when 
prayer is answered, — when temptation is resisted, — when sin is sub- 
dued, — when death is welcomed ; — then we may feel assured " It is 
the Lord." 

As soon as the seven hungry and weary disciples reached the shore, 
what a proof of their Lord's condescending care met their eyes ! A 
fire of coals was kindled, fish was laid thereon, and bread was pro- 
vided. Whose hands had kindled that fire and prepared that repast? 
Was it the pierced hands of the risen Saviour, or those of angels, his 
ministering servants ? We know not by what means the simple fare 
was made ready ; but we know that it was the Lord who had conde- 
scended to provide this seasonable supply. The King of glory him- 
self waited upon his poor followers. He who had washed their feet 
before he suffered, fed them with his own hands after he was risen. 

Have his people cause to fear, lest they should be forgotten in the 
day of their necessity ? Sometimes they are tempted to inquire, 
What shall I do, if my business should not prosper ? What would 
become of me if sickness should lay me low ? Who would take care 
of me, if I should live to be old and feeble ? But these are unbeliev- 
ing thoughts. Christ has promised each of his children : " I will 
never leave thee, nor forsake thee ?" When our minds are troubled 
with cares concerning the future, let us remember the Lord Jesus by 
the side of the lake, feeding his poor disciples with his own pierced 
hands 

Evening Scripture portion. Ruth II. The Lord's kindness to Ruth. 



DEC. 26.1 CHRIST QUESTIONS PETER. 539 



CHRISTMAS DAY. 

Suspend the course for the day, and read Is. IX. 1-8 ; and Luke II. 
1-15 ; or some other chapter suitable to the Nativity. 



John XXL 15-17. — Christ questions Peter concerning his love. 

" Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than ihese ?" Why did 
the Lord Jesus ask this question ? And why did he say three times, 
" Lovest thou me ?" Peter had lately denied him openly three times. 
It is a great satisfaction to a penitent, backslider, to have an oppor- 
tunity of expressing his feelings. If Jesus had not made the inquiry 
in this pointed manner, Peter might have felt afraid of coming forward 
as he used to do. He might have thought, " How have I belied all 
my professions by my conduct ! — henceforth I will keep silence ;" but 
Jesus invited him to speak. Then Peter replied, "Yea, Lord, thou 
knowest that I love thee." He had lost his self-confidence, but he re- 
tained his fervor. He no longer professed to love his Lord more than 
his fellow-disciples loved him ; he no longer protested, " Though all 
men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended ;" 
but he still felt that he loved his Master, and he still knew, that though 
others might suspect his sincerity, the Searcher of hearts never could. 

Is it a comfort to us to reflect that Jesus knows our hearts ? Do we 
feel assured that when he looks into them he sees there some — though 
not enough — gratitude for all his kindness? What should we think of 
Peter, if he had not loved his Lord ! What should we think of him, 
if he could have beheld Jesus dying on the cross, and not have loved 
him ! and if he could have received a generous pardon after his base 
denial, — and not have loved him ! and if he could that morning have 
taken the food from his pierced hands, — and not have loved him ! But 
has Jesus done nothing for us ? Is there one person here present who 
can say, " I have no reason to love the Lord ; he has done nothing for 
me ; he has shown me no kindness ; he has never fed me, nor par- 
doned me, nor shed his blood for me ?" No creature knows how much 
Jesus has done for him ; when all his goodness, and forbearance, and 
long-suffering come to light, (as they will do, at the last day,) every 
one who has not loved him will be overwhelmed with shame, and con- 
fusion of face. 

It is the earnest wish of those who do love the Lord, to know how 
they can please him. Jesus told Peter how to show his love. He 
said, "Feed my lambs," and then "Feed my sheep." He had made 
Peter a minister of the gospel. In a minister's office there are two 
parts : the first is, " Converting sinners ;" the second, " Instructing 



540 CHRIST FORETELLS THE [dec. 27. 

saints." When the Lord that morning had caused the disciples to 
catch a multitude of fishes, he had shown them that they would, by 
preaching the gospel, convert many sinners. When he commanded 
Peter to feed his sheep and lambs, he taught him that it would be his 
duty to instruct the saints. A minister resembles both a fisherman 
and a shepherd. When he is exhorting sinners to come to Jesus, then 
he is like a fisherman enclosing fishes in his net ; when he is teaching 
believers, then he is like a shepherd feeding his flock. 

The lambs are the first objects of the shepherd's care, because thfcy 
are weaker than the sheep. All children who love Christ are his 
lambs ; good ministers feed them with the fresh grass that grows by 
the still waters. When they tell them about the good Shepherd, who 
died to save sinners, then it is they feed the lambs. Jesus himself 
gathers them with his arms, and carries them in his bosom, and keeps 
them from the roaring lion who seeks to devour them. There are 
some aged persons who have only just begun to believe, and these 
also are counted by Jesus among his lambs. It may be, that neglected 
by earthly shepherds, they have gone " from mountain to hill," and 
had "forgotten their resting-place." (Jer. 1. 6.) When lo ! in their 
declining years, they heard a voice saying, " Come unto me, all ye 
that are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." They 
obeyed the gentle call, and now each of them can say, " The Lord is 
my shepherd, I shall not want." There are many little children who 
have repeated this verse as soon as they could lisp ; and many aged 
saints who have uttered it with their expiring breath. 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Peter V. Feeding the flock. 



John XXI. 18 to end. — Christ foretells the manner of Peter's 

death. 

None of us can foresee what will be the manner of our death. We 
know not whether it will be natural or violent, sudden or lingering, 
painful or comparatively easy ; we do not even know certainly that we 
shall die ; for some will remain until the coming of the Lord, and be 
caught up to meet him in the air. God in his goodness and his wis- 
dom has concealed the future from his creatures, even those things 
that most nearly concern them. But occasionally he departs from his 
usual course. In wrath he revealed to Jehoram, the king of Judah, 
the manner of his death. There came a writing from Elijah the 
prophet, describing the dreadful disease which would cut short his days. 
(2 Chron. xxi. 15.) In love Jesus revealed to Peter the manner of his 
death. It was the most painful, and the most shameful, yet the most 
honorable, because the death his Master had suffered, even crucifixion. 



DEC. 27.] MANNER OF PETER'S DEATH. 541 

The Bible contains no account of the event, but it has been com- 
monly reported that it took place at Rome. 

If when Peter first began to follow the Lord, he had known that h^ 
should be called to endure such bitter sufferings for his sake, the an- 
nouncement might have overwhelmed him with terror. But since tha* 
time his soul had been strengthened ; and he was willing to encounto 
trials that once would have appalled him. In his second epistle he 
speaks with calmness of his death : " Knowing that shortly I musJ 
put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed 
me." (2 Peter i. 14.) 

God can make those events which once appeared terrible, — tolerable, 
and even delightful to the soul. There may be great trials reserved 
for some of us. If we knew now what they were, perhaps we should 
say, "We cannot sustain them." But G^d will enable us to bear all 
that he has appointed that we shall suffer. He answered Paul's 
prayers for deliverance from his piercing thorn, by saying, " My grace 
is sufficient for thee." His grace is sufficient for us also. 

It seems that, the Lord uttered the prophecy concerning Peter in the 
presence of the other disciples ; but afterwards he called him to go 
apart with him. Encouraged by the favor shown him, Peter ventured 
to ask the Lord what would become of John, who was following their 
steps. It was natural that he should expect this question would be 
answered, for at the last supper, when he had asked John to inquire 
who should betray the Lord, a reply had been granted. But there 
was a great difference between these two inquiries. Anxiety to clear 
themselves of the foul crime that one of their number would commit, 
led all the faithful apostles to desire to know who the traitor was. 
But it was curiosity that induced Peter now to ask, " What shall this 
man do ?" Such curiosity required a check. There is nothing re- 
vealed in the Scriptures to gratify curiosity. Man would like to know 
the history of the angels, but he is only told his oivn history ; for this 
alone concerns him : he would like to know who are the inhabitants 
of the worlds suspended in the heavens, but he is only told who he 
himself is. 

It is not curiosity that makes Christians desirous to know all things 
that Jesus did. Love leads us to wish to hear all his words, and to 
learn the particulars of all his actions. But it was impossible that 
they could all be written in one book. Shall we ever know all those 
interesting facts ? If we are made worthy, through the blood of Jesus, 
to enter his kingdom of glory, we may hear from the lips of apostles 
circumstances which their pens have not recorded. Angels were wit- 
nesses of scenes where apostles were not present ; hereafter those holy 
watchers may describe events that occurred among the green hills near 
Bethlehem, and on the sultry plains of Egypt, in the lowly dwelling at 
Nazareth, and on the shady banks of Jordan, amidst the dismal caverns 
of the wilderness, and upon the sorrowful summit of Mount Olivet, — 
events which have never yet been heard by mortal ear. And may not 



542 CHRIST MEETS HIS DISCIPLES. [DEC. 28. 

the Loud Jesus himself condescend to reveal to his people some pas- 
sages in his life, and some feelings of his heart, which are known to 
none but Himself? 

Evening Scripture portion. 2 Peter I. Prophecy of Peter's death. 



Matt. XXVIII. 16 to end. — Christ meets his disciples on a mountain. 

When the Lord Jesus was on earth, he had no palace in which to 
hold his court. It was on a fountain in Galilee that his disciples met 
together to behold him after his resurrection. Why was a mountain 
selected as the place of meeting ? Because the tops of mountains are 
retired spots. As the Lord would not permit his enemies to see him 
after he rose from the dead, he chose a secluded place in a remote 
part of the land in which to meet, his friends. None but those who 
loved him were there. More than five hundred brethren were gathered 
together to see him. (1 Cor. xv. 6.) Was such an assembly ever 
known before or since ! It is common to behold a congregation of five 
hundred persons. But do they all love Jesus ? Are they all brethren 
in Christ ? No ; in such congregations the children of wrath and the 
children of God are mingled. But there was not one of Christ's open 
enemies among the five hundred on the mountain. St. Paul calls them 
all "brethren." (1 Cor. xv.) We know not their names. But we 
may conjecture that those who had been healed, and pardoned, and 
instructed, came from all parts of the land to behold their risen Bene- 
factor. Bartimeus, the blind beggar of Jericho, and the blind beggar 
of Jerusalem, may have been there, as well as Joseph and Nicodemus, 
the honorable counsellors. Though they are called brethren, yet 
doubtless women were included in the company. It is probable that 
the pious women of Galilee were present, and even Mary, the Mother 
of Jesus. 

We should like to know what Jesus said to those assembled on the 
mountain. It is not certain that the words recorded by St. Matthew 
in this passage were spoken before that assembly. They contain the 
Lord's charge to his apostles. " Go ye therefore and teach all nations, 
baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." 
The word " teach" in this verse, means " disciple." " Go, and disci- 
ple all nations," or make them my disciples. How could the apostles 
do this ? By preaching the gospel. Those who believed were to be 
baptized, not in the name of Jesus only, but in the name of Father, 
Son, and Holy Ghost, the glorious Trinity. Thus Jesus showed that 
he was one with the Father and the Holy Ghost. 

What an arduous undertaking the Lord assigned to his apostles ! 



DEC. 29.] CHRIST PROMISES MIRACULOUS GIFTS. 543 

To go to a world full of the servants of Satan, to seek for servants for 
God ! This was their work. How could they perform it ! Their 
Master gave the encouragement they needed. He began by saying, 
" All power (or authority) is given unto me in heaven, and in earth ;" 
and he ended by declaring, " Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the 
end of the world." He who had all power would be with them ! He 
who lives forever would be with them ! What could they fear with 
such a guard ! But would the apostles live to the end of the world ? 
No ! but Christ would raise up other men like them in spirit, to teach 
the same doctrines they had taught. He is still with his faithful min- 
isters, to bless their labors and to comfort their hearts. What an as- 
sembly will one day be gathered together upon the heavenly mountain, 
of all those who have believed through their word ! "There may have 
been some missing from the mountain in Galilee, who would have 
been glad to be there ; but not one who loves Jesus shall be absent 
from the mountain of the Lord's house. Some, knowing that Jesus 
had been lately crucified, doubted at first whether they really beheld 
the risen Saviour ; but there shall be no unbelief in heaven. In a 
little while the brethren were obliged to descend from the sacred sum- 
mit ; but the glorified shall never descend from the heights of the 
heavenly Zion. Shall we be found among that blessed company ? 
Let us now often seek Christ where he has promised to meet us — in 
secret — in our chambers — the door shut, the world shut out, and the 
heart lifted up to that glorious mountain where the hundred and forty- 
four thousand surround the Lamb. 

Evening Scripture portion. Rev. IV. The glories of heaven. 



Mark XVI. 15-18. — Christ promises to bestow miraculous gifts. 

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem an angel declared to the shep- 
herds, " I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all 
people." Those good tidings are called the Gospel. Before Jesus 
left this world he charged his apostles to preach the Gospel to all peo- 
ple. He did not send angels to preach it, but men. He said, k ' Go 
ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature." Then 
every creature ought to believe the Gospel. Have we believed it ? 
We have heard it : but hearing it will not save the soul. The Lord 
has made this solemn declaration : " He that believeth, and is bap- 
tized, shall be saved." There are many who have been baptized in 
their infancy who have not believed in Jesus. Shall they be saved ? 
No ; unless they believe, they cannot be saved ; for it is written, " He 
that believeth not shall be damned." Awful words ! Whether he be 
baptized, or whether he be not baptized, he that does not believe shall 



544 CHRIST PROMISES MIRACULOUS GIFTS. [dec. 29. 

perish. What is it to believe ? It is to receive Christ into the heart'. 
There is an instance recorded in the Acts of a wicked man called Si- 
mon Magus, who believed, and was baptized. But he did not believe 
with the heart. His faith was not of the right sort : his mind was 
convinced, but his heart was not changed. After his baptism, the 
apostle Peter, reproving him for a blasphemous request, he had made, 
said, " Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter ; for thy heart is 
not right in the sight of God. I perceive that thou art in the gall of 
bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity." (Acts viii. 21—23.) None 
can be saved who do not believe with the heart on the Son of God. 

When Christ sent out his apostles to preach the Gospel, he knew 
that the world would be ready to say that he had not sent them. 
Therefore he made this wonderful promise : " These signs shall follow 
them that believe. In my name they shall cast out devils ; they shall 
speak with new tongues ; they shall take up serpents ; and if they 
drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them ; they shall lay hands on 
the sick and they shall recover." (Mark xvi. 17, 18.) It was by the 
power of the Holy Ghost that believers would perform these miracles. 
When the Spirit descended upon the apostles at the day of Pentecost, 
he enabled them to speak with other tongues. (Acts ii. 4.) When 
he descended upon Cornelius and his friends, he caused them also to 
speak in the same wonderful manner. (Acts x. 45, 46.) 

The apostles possessed a privilege beyond other believers. They 
could obtain the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost for other men by 
laying on their hands with prayer. When Peter and John visited 
Samaria, they laid their hands on the believers, and the Holy Ghost 
was given. Philip the deacon, who had first preached the Gospel in 
Samaria, had not been able to communicate the heavenly gift, though 
he himself possessed the power of doing miracles. (Acts viii. 13-17.) 
As none but the apostles could by laying on of hands cause believers 
to receive the Holy Ghost, — after their death the power of working 
miracles ceased. The Gospel had then been preached to the ends of 
the world, and sufficient miraculous evidence of its truth had been 
given. (Rom. x. 18.) But the most valuable gift that Christ bestows 
may still be obtained. It is charity, or holy love. Tongues have 
ceased, but charity has not failed, and shall never fail. By this we 
may know whether we have true faith. Do we love God 1 and do 
we love the children of God 1 The apostle John has declared, " He 
that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love." (1 John iv. 7, 8.) 
If unholy passions, such as envy, wrath, and malice, are nourished in 
our hearts, then we may be sure that we do not believe in Christ with 
the heart. 

Evening Scripture portion. Ephes. IV. The gifts of Christ 



DEC. 30. J CHRIST OPENS THE UNDERSTANDING. 545 



Luke XXI Y. 44-49.— Christ opens the understandings of his 

apostles. 

The Lord Jesus remained forty days on the earth after his resur- 
rection. During this time he often conversed with his disciples. It is 
written in the Acts, concerning the Lord and his apostles, " To whom 
he showed himself alive after his passion (or sufferings) by many in- 
fallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the 
things pertaining to the kingdom of God/' (Acts i. 3.) How much 
we should like to hear all that he said during these forty days ! It is 
natural to inquire, " Where did the Lord abide when not present with 
his disciples, or was he always present with some of them?" But 
though we cannot ascertain these points, we may know on what sub- 
jects the Lord conversed with his beloved followers. He spoke to 
them of his own past sufferings. They had just witnessed his painful 
death at Jerusalem, and they could not understand how the righteous 
Father should give up his righteous Son into the hands of wicked 
men. But Jesus relieved their perplexity. He showed them from 
the Old Testament prophecies that the Lord had laid on him the sins 
of men. What must the apostles have felt when they first understood 
that all the bitter pangs they had seen their Lord endure, had been in- 
flicted for their sakes ! He explained to them not only why he died, 
but also why he rose again. And why did he rise again ? Because 
he had paid the ransom for our sins, even his own precious blood, and 
therefore he was set free from the prison of the tomb. Thus Daniel 
the prophet had declared that the Messiah should come " to make an 
end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in 
everlasting righteousness." (Daniel ix. 24.) 

Were such conversations ever before held as these between the 
Lord and his disciples after his resurrection ! How different from 
their conversation on the way to the garden of Gethsemane just before 
his crucifixion ! Then sorrow had filled their hearts, but now joy. 
Then they could not understand many very simple truths. When the 
Lord said, " Whither I go ye know, and the way ye know," Thomas 
replied, " We know not whither thou goest, and how can we know 
the way ?" But now the disciples understood his instructions. And 
why ? Because he opened their understandings. No other teacher 
ever possessed the power of opening the understandings of his pupils. 

Jesus still exercises this power. He bestows the Holy Spirit. 
The Bible perplexes those who are not taught by him. W 7 hen they 
read the ceremonies of the law, they sometimes inquire, " Why was 
so much blood spilt ?" When they read the histories of the saints, 
they wonder at their sins and at their sorrows. When they read the 
psalms and the prophets, they are astonished to find bitter complaints 
succeeded by rapturous songs. But the soul taught of God knows 
that Christ is hidden in every part of his holy word — that the ceremo- 

69 



546 THE ASCENSION. [dec. 31 

nies of the law point to his atoning blood — that the histories of the 
saints set forth the sins he bore, and the sorrows he sustained ; and 
that the psalms and the prophets are filled with his mournful notes, 
and with his joyful strains. 

The Lord conversed with his disciples not only about his own past 
sufferings, but also about their future labors. He told them what they 
were to preach, and where they were to preach. 

What were they to preach ? Not vengeance but mercy. The gifts 
that sinners need are repentance and pardon. To be pardoned without 
repentance would be no blessing ; for an impenitent sinner could not 
be happy in heaven. To repent, and yet not to obtain pardon, how 
terrible this would be ! But it cannot be ; for no true penitent shall 
be sent to hell, though many a bruised reed has feared lest this should 
be his own case. 

And where were the apostles to preach ? Among all nations, but 
they were to begin at Jerusalem. The murderers were to have the 
first offer of pardon. Those who, like strong bulls of Bashan, had be- 
set him round, who had gaped upon him with their mouths as a raven- 
ing and roaring lion, were to be the first to obtain mercy from the silent, 
slaughtered Lamb. How can any sinner despair after hearing of this 
wonderful grace ! Millions once covered with scarlet and crimson 
stains are now singing, " Unto him that loved us, and washed us from 
our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto 
God and his Father, be glory and dominion forever and ever." 

Evening Scripture portion. 1 Cor. I. The preaching of the cross. 



Luke XXIV. 50 to end. — The Ascension. 

The Lord Jesus had often walked with his disciples to Bethany. 
This was his last walk to that endeared spot. A last walk with a be- 
loved friend is usually mournful ; but though the disciples knew they 
were soon going to be separated from their Lord, they were not un- 
happy. Once when they had descended into the vale of Kedron, and 
crossed the narrow stream, they were much cast down. Then it was 
Jesus had said to them, " Let not your heart be troubled." On that 
occasion he stopped at the garden of Gethsemane to pray and suffer 
there ; but now he passed beyond that sorrowful spot, and followed 
the path on the side of Mount Olivet which leads to the village of 
Bethany. Have you ever passed by a place where you once endured 
great trials, and have you been able to say, as you looked at the spot, 
" God has been very gracious unto me ; I was troubled, and he helped 
me ; I sought him, and he delivered me from all my fears ?" What 
gratitude the soul feels when it remembers the former anguish, and 



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DEC. 31.] THE ASCENSION. 547 

contrasts that anguish with the present joy ! But who has ever suf- 
fered such pangs as Jesus endured in the garden of Gethsemane, while 
bearing the burden of our sins ! 

When he walked towards Bethany for the last time all his troubles 
were over. The Psalms record his thanksgivings to his Father : 
" Sing unto the Lord, ye saints of his ; and give thanks at the re- 
membrance of his holiness ; for his anger endureth but a moment ; in 
his favor is life ; weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in 
the morning." (Ps. xxx. 4, 5.) Well may he call upon his saints to 
rejoice with him. All he suffered was for them. All he has obtained 
is for them. He needed nothing for himself: he had all things from 
everlasting : but he knew that we had lost all, and that he alone could 
recover all for us. 

His last act on earth was an act of love to his people. " He lifted 
up his hands, and blessed them." " While he blessed them he was 
parted from them." It was a cloud that received him and carried him 
up to heaven. The apostles beheld him as he ascended, and continued 
to watch till they could see him no more. Two angels clothed in 
white apparel remained below to comfort them. And how did they 
comfort? By this promise: "This same Jesus which is taken up 
from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen 
him go into heaven." The words of prophets and apostles agree with 
those of the angel. An apostle of the New Testament has declared, 
" Behold, he cometh with clouds." (Rev. i. 7.) A prophet of the Old 
has said, " His feet shall stand in that day upon Mount Olives." (Zech. 
xiv. 4.) 

How did the apostles feel now they had lost their Lord ? We do 
not hear one word about their sorrow — we do not read of their shed- 
ding one tear ; but we are told that after worshipping their ascended 
Saviour, they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were con- 
tinually in the temple praising and blessing God. Though still in the 
midst of their enemies, they rejoiced : though deprived of the personal 
presence of their Lord, they rejoiced : though they knew that in the 
world they should have much tribulation, they rejoiced. And why ? 
Because they believed the promises. They knew that Jesus was 
gone to the Father to make intercession for them, and that he would 
return again to make them blessed forever. 

The apostle Peter in his epistle speaks in a triumphant manner of 
his Lord's exaltation : " Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right 
hand of God ; angels, and authorities, and powers, being made subject 
unto him." (1 Pet. iii. 22.) And the apostle John, in the last page 
of the Bible, and almost the last verse, has recorded this prayer, " Even 
so, come Lord Jesus." Do we partake in the joy of these holy apos- 
tles ? Jesus loves all who love him, whether they be the greatest of 
his apostles or the weakest of his lambs. " He ever liveth to make 
intercession (not for apostles only, but) for all who come unto God by 
him." He will come again, not to bless apostles only, but all who 



548 THE ASCENSION. [dec. 31. 

have believed in him through their word, and He will say to them all, 
" Come, ye blessed of my Father." 

We have now traced the steps of the Son of God from his throne of 
glory into this dark world, and back again to the same bright throne. 
We, who have sat together day after day reading and hearing this 
affecting history, shall one day meet together before his awful tribunal. 
It is probable that circumstances will, sooner or later, part us in this 
life ; we may remove to other places, or we may be removed by death ; 
but — we shall meet again. It will then be known whether we truly 
loved this blessed Saviour : whether we were washed in his blood, 
and whether we were sanctified by his Spirit. It will then be decided 
whether we shall live with him forever, or be forever banished from 
his presence. " Seek ye the Lord while he may be found ; call ye 
upon him while he is near." (Isa. lv. 6.) 

Evening Scripture portion. 
Zech. XIV. The Lord's return and glorious reign. 



THE END. 



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